Eternity and wolf
by GamerLUPO
Summary: As they draw closer to their destination, Lawrence becomes fatally ill. They find the cure for him along the way, but it requires compensation. And in a flash of light, their entire lives are changed forever!
1. Closer to the North

**Fan Fiction:** Spice and Wolf

**Title:** Eternity and wolf

**Summary:** Lawrence falls ill and is unable to travel. Holo finds the means to cure him but it comes at a high cost. Will she destroy his dreams to save his life? Or will she be doomed to walk a lonely eternity?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own "Spice and wolf" or any of the characters from it.

**Chapter#1-** Closer to the north

It's been nearly two months since their trouble in Renos. Currently, the travelling merchant, a young man by the name of Kraft Lawrence, was gazing sternly at the road ahead with narrowed eyes and an embarrassed blush on his face. Meanwhile, his overly giddy companion, a young woman named Holo, sat beside him on the drivers' seat dusting of the dirt and the bits of rocks and grass still clinging to his head, shoulders and his shirt front, doing a poor job at suppressing the laughter that so desperately wanted to erupt from her.

"C-Come now! No one was around to witness that on the road. Do try and lighten up!"

"Tell me those words without giggling, if you can."

Holo could sense that Lawrence was greatly serious and irritated from that little incident but she was having difficulty in biting back the laughter. Really, she thought it was more charming than humorous (though one could hardly tell) when it happened. Thinking of it, had the situation been reversed Holo would've been furious. Lawrence would've been a tad more considerate of her pride but Holo couldn't help from laughing no more than one could help but to sneeze. And Lawrence was being serious with no hint of humor on his face, his body language speaking for him.

Seeing as Lawrence was now free from the dirt, Holo sat back down in her seat and dusted her hands free of any remaining dirt. The laughter had subsided but she still had a grin on her face, and still Lawrence would not look at her.

"Surely you are not the first travelling merchant on the world to fall entirely asleep at the reigns and fall completely off your wagon? Er, no pun intended of course."

Lawrence knew she was right but he was still upset that it had happened.

"You couldn't nudge me awake before I had fallen? I doubt you lacked the speed to react at such a sudden movement as I fell away from my seat here on the bench. It would've spared me from such a fall."

In truth, Holo had barely caught Lawrence leaning slightly to his left at the corner of her eye until she realized he was about to fall. He swayed a few times, more so to his right, and she had expected him to fall against her shoulder, or maybe even onto her lap. However, his body shifted at the very last moment, and Holo was unable to catch onto his arm as she reached out for him. And thus, Lawrence disappeared as he fell soundly onto the dirt road below.

"Honestly now, I did not mean for it to happen that way! Of course I've never seen that happen so comically well, you should be able to laugh this little bump in the road off. Surely it isn't the most embarrassing moment in your life."

"Oh? And how is it you know so much of my life now? Can you see into the past now?"

"Hee hee! I seem to remember a certain fatherly guild master and his way of saying 'hello' to one of his sons of the Rowen trade guild."

"Ngh!"

"Now what was it again that he had pointed out? The times you wet your bedroll? Oh! That you and your friends had stolen the cash box to go to the who-"

"Alright, alright! Point taken. Enough of that already. For someone who eats, drinks, and snores as much as you do, you're always quick to point out others' fa-Ow!"

Holo jabbed her elbow hard into Lawrence's side at hearing him say her name and word "snore" in the same sentence.

"I do not snore!"

"Ah! Fine! Fine! You don't snore. I take it back. Just no headlocks this time."

With a huff, Holo sat back down in her seat. Lawrence straightened and turned his attention back to the road once again. Even though Holo appeared to be annoyed, he could still make out the movements of her tail as it swished slightly beneath her skirts; a quiet wag that told him she was quite amused, if not happy.

He let out a sigh and ran a hand down his face. He appeared tired now, not like the sense of tired one gets after a days' work in the fields. No, he appeared to be tired as in fatigued, in a more mental way than physical.

"Oh! Do we still have any more of those carrots by any chance?"

Holo reaches over the back of the bench and rummages through their sack of provisions.

"One left. I'll be taking the last of the dried meat myself."

She handed Lawrence the thick vegetable and sank her teeth into the jerky.

"Don't tell me this is the last of our rations."

"Mm? You needn't worry so much. We're nearing a town so we should be alright until then. Should give me some time to groom my tail in the process."

"And you barely tell me this now?"

"You became so cross with me about 'letting' you fall off your seat that I had momentarily forgotten. So now you know."

Lawrence turns his head to look in Holo's direction. Their eyes met and held. She says nothing but smiles as she tears through another bite of meat, finding it, oddly enough, endearing. Lawrence returned his eyes to the road ahead, taking a big bite of the carrot in hand. He grimaced slightly as his teeth ground into something that felt like a small piece of a dirt clod. His first initial instinct was to spit it out but his mouth reacted faster than his mind and he reflexively swallowed it. He tasted a bit of earth and something else as the bit of food went down his throat but he merely shrugged it off, thinking nothing of it.

It doesn't take long for the town to come into view. Though Lawrence is somewhat relieved to see it actually there, he couldn't help but to furrow his brow as his mind began to turn its wheels.

"Hmmm."

"What is it?"

"Your senses are as impeccable as ever, and spot on as well. However, it appears too small for it to be a town. I'd say it's more of a village, not a very big one either. There aren't that many buildings from the look of it. And look, you can clearly see some farming crops and stables."

"What?"

Holo, who was grooming her tail at the time, stopped her actions and looked ahead, focusing her eyes in the direction of said town-slash-village. Lawrence saw her ears droop as she confirmed what Lawrence had told her.

"Holo? What is it?"

"I was so distracted from that familiar smell that I had not entirely seen the upcoming village, and thus called a 'town'."

"A familiar smell?"

"Aye. Its faint but there's no mistaking it. I smell earth salt, hot earth salt. As well as some scented bath oils and other such perfumes. This is definitely the way back."

"So we are close Nyohhira then?"

"Hee hee! That we are. The hot springs of Nyohhira are very relaxing and exhilarating! When I had left for travelling, I had considered making it my new home but feeling strongly of my birthplace, I just decided to make it my place of relaxation. I'm sure you would agree."

Lawrence smiled at his companion. He was no wise wolf himself but that longing tone he heard in her voice was hardly mistakable. She was feeling nostalgic for her homeland of Yoitsu. Nyohhira was close and that meant they would be there soon. And once that happened...

He shook his head as thoughts began to swell out of control.

"Well, you'll be home soon enough."

He saw Holo smile her usual grin and return to her grooming. And though their eyes met briefly, he could see the same thought running through her head as it was running clear in his: What then?

He didn't want to part with Holo. He would be lying of he had told himself otherwise. Lawrence had come to love having the wolf of the wheat at his side. Aside from his horse and for Jakob Tarantino, Holo was the only one to have stayed with him for so long. He had come to know so much about this strange girl that he didn't even want to entertain the idea of being a day without her. Though, to confess such a thing was to invite Holo's ceaseless teasing, another trait of hers that Lawrence had come to grow fond of. He turned his eyes from the road to look at her sitting beside him and already he felt she was beyond his reach.

Holo was fussing over the white tip of her tail, the part of herself she was proudest of. And yet, no matter how many times she ran her tongue over the fur, it would not come out the way she wanted it to. At least that was what Lawrence saw. In truth, she felt frustrated. Holo the wise wolf of Yoitsu was returning to the place of her birth but she was far from happy about it. She was well aware that her home had been destroyed by the moon hunting bear, that no one was waiting for her return. Her friends had hopefully long since scattered to different parts of the world as she had done. At least if they did do just that, then when they would decide to return home it would be Holo to greet them and to inform them on what had happened to their home.

But the loneliness...she hated it more than she hated shepherds. But it was Lawrence that had taken that loneliness away and had given her company. She doesn't recall when it had happened but Holo found that she had become fond of her so-called "savior", this travelling merchant by the name of Kraft Lawrence. She had seen many humans come and go, seen many of the things they did and say. But this human...this human had her on her toes at all times. And now she knew why.

She had come to love him.

It became concrete to her when he bought her back in Renos, when Eve's plans fell through. It was flawed of course, as many that fall under its poison are, and she found that even she was not immune to its effects. It made it even harder to keep in mind that he was human, not like her whereas she can go on for centuries. But humans...they seem to be born in the blink of an eye and are gone just as quick.

Feeling increasingly melancholy, Holo shook her head slightly and cleared her mind of those far away thoughts. He was here with her now, and would remain with her until they would arrive at Yoitsu. But...

Unknown to either of them, their minds unconsciously began to turn their wheels to the same tune...


	2. Unfortunate

**Fan Fiction:** Spice and wolf

**Title:** Eternity and wolf

**Chapter#2-** Unfortunate

Both had been deep in thought since midday, both as quiet as stones. Only a few times had their eyes actually made contact, and each time he saw a familiar glint in her dim auburn eyes. It was nearing dusk until the silence was shattered by Lawrence.

"Might I make a proposal?"

He saw Holo's ear twitch and knew it had to have been due to one of two things: One, she was so deep in her own thoughts that his speaking so suddenly had startled her or two, her curiosity had been genuinely piqued and she was awaiting his proposal.

"I'm listening."

"You had said before that you had been to Nyohhira in the past, yes? Well, I may be a travelling merchant but I've never been out that far before. So I wish to linger there a while, if that is alright with you."

The look on Holo's face was both charming and disturbing. It looked as though she had just been told that apples were also a sort to be pickled in honey but eating them would kill you. It was a look of great happiness but also one of great disturbance.

"Hmm? What is it, Holo?"

"W-What you just said...it was the exact same question I was going to put to you! What sort of spell have you cast upon me now, Kraft Lawrence?"

He could see that she was entirely genuine in her shock. So she was thinking the same thing. Knowing Holo, she was probably just too proud to even ask such a...of course! That look! It was just like those other times before; when she had asked for apples and at the inn. He mentally hit himself upside the head for forgetting such a crucial gesture.

"No spells, Holo. I assure you. I guess we were just thinking the same thing. So it is agreed then? Once we get to Nyohhira, we may linger there a bit, yes?"

"Sounds splendid! Of course, you know that lingering in Nyohhira means, for a travelling merchant, there is no money to be made."

"Mn!"

That one had hit home. In his fervent efforts to prolong their travelling together, Lawrence had forgotten his entire reason for travelling! He let out a subdued sigh and smiled briefly.

"Can't be helped, I suppose."

"And you know..."

"Hmm?"

Holo moved close to him so that their shoulders were pressed together, making Lawrence face her immediately. She had her mischievous wolf-like grin plastered onto her face and Lawrence felt like he had set himself up for something. He swallowed nervously.

"You've never been to Nyohhira. I have been there many times before. Therefore, once we arrive in Nyohhira, your life will be in my hands."

Somehow, the way she had said it didn't make Lawrence feel at ease (now he knew he had set himself up for a trap, and such a painstakingly obvious one at that) but for some strange reason, he was not completely terrified by it.

"Heh, aye. That it will. However, until then, my life is still my own so don't get too excited."

Holo let out a satisfied chuckle and lay down on the bench vertically, so that her head came to rest on Lawrence's' lap. The warmth of the late afternoon had melded with the cool of the oncoming night, and was a good time for a nap (or so Holo decided). This had become more of a habit than a routine, for she had done so in the past and was quite content, as she was now.

His hand came to rest at her temple with his palm on the back of her ear and out of habit; he began to move it in a slow caress. This helped lull her into her nap even quicker, her breath evening out as she fell asleep. He smiled a bit to himself. He liked this. For some reason, once Holo was at ease, it made him feel equally at ease himself. Lawrence continued to watch the road ahead as his hold on the reigns stayed fast, seeing the village become clearer as his cart closed the distance between the village and his cart.

A small village was different than that of a small town or city. Villages didn't have a head tax upon entering but in some cases, villages hardly had a place for travelers to dwell. In his experiences, Lawrence would visit a village briefly just to stock up on any necessities and move on to make camp elsewhere.

At least this time around, it wasn't such a lonely thought.

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They sat there in silence, a lone breeze blowing by as if to mock them. Holo sniffed uneasily, trying to avoid owning up to the fact that she had made a mistake. In retrospect, she had seen the makings of a town but it had lacked the appropriate scents of one.

What they were met with was a ghost town, a seemingly average village sans the people and animals.

It was completely devoid of any life. A small stable sat beside a house looking like it had been a farmer's house. Everything was in its place but there was no one else about. It was as though the people just up and left, leaving their homes, belongings, and animals behind (though it appeared the animals went off on their own, with most not likely surviving). Had the people been run out of this place? Perhaps the result of the village becoming bankrupt due to a flawed contract with one of the neighboring towns or maybe a high taxation was placed on the people. It wasn't uncommon for villages to be seized as collateral if such a thing were to occur but everything was still here, the farming equipment, the houses, the carts and wagons all stocked with bales of hay and what appeared to be rotting vegetables and fruits.

"I do not like this."

"What's the matter, Holo?"

"This place...no one is here and yet, the smell of humans still hangs strongly to this place."

"Huh?"

"Or more accurately, the smell of dead humans."

Lawrence gave her a confused look. He wasn't grasping the whole of what she was trying to say until the sound of ominous cawing rang out overhead. A lone raven came fluttering by to rest on a lone tree that led out to the cropping fields, a most peculiar smell coming off of it. Concentrating her nose, Holo picked up on something that made her act immediately, taking Lawrence's' arm and pulling him away from the entrance of the village.

"We must go! Now!"

"Ack! H-Holo, wait! What's wrong with this place?"

As he stumbles over his feet Lawrence notices her tail is bristled and moving about anxiously. Her ears stood erect atop her head and her eyes were quite serious.

"We must distance ourselves from here, now!"

She pulled him back to the cart and pushed him into the driver's seat. Knowing better than to put up much of a resistance Lawrence took the reins and signaled his horse into a full gallop. After putting quite a bit of distance between the village and themselves, Lawrence eased the horse into a steady trek.

"Mind telling me what it was that made you so spooked now?"

"That bird...that little village was plagued."

"With what?"

"How should I know? Dunce! The village must have come down with a disease or an affliction of some sort. I don't know if you had noticed but there was disturbed earth that was raised beneath the tree of where that bird was perched. It has been a while since I have seen the likes of this but there's no mistaking it."

Lawrence had not seen the raised earth himself but he knew Holo enough to take her on her word. He then drew his own conclusion.

"Those were unmarked graves."

He saw Holo nod bitterly. It was quite a macabre scene now that Lawrence had time to register it into his head. He had only seen villages that were pillaged and taken over by mercenaries, with the men being killed and the women left violated, kidnapped and/or dead. But to actually see a village touched by a plague of some sort...it left him with a chill just thinking about it.

"What I smelled back there was the lingering scent of humans, dead ones at that. It couldn't have been abandoned no more than a fortnight or so. How sad."

"Mn."

They both fell into silence as they continued down the dirt road. It seemed to stretch into the night. As they stopped a few miles later to make camp, Lawrence noticed that Holo was a bit vacant in the eyes. He knew she was no delicate little maiden that seeing an abandoned village was not enough to get the best of her. No. Her mind was elsewhere as she moved as stiffly as a marionette.

It didn't take long for the young merchant to realize why his companion was so spacey, or at least had an idea of why she was so spacey. As he made the fire, he sat with his back to the lone old oak that they had come to camp beside. It was well away from the main road so Holo could let her ears and tail out without fear of being seen. She kept her cloak on but took off the hood and came to sit beside Lawrence.

He sat with his back to the tree and his left leg up with his elbow resting on top of it in a casual manner, stoking the fire into a full blaze with a long sturdy branch.

"Yoitsu is fine, I'm sure."

"Huh?"

"Well, from the looks of it, if the village had come under the plague no more than a fortnight ago, I doubt that it has reached the forest of Yoitsu or Nyohhira for that matter. A forest and village are somewhat the same after all, save for the difference between humans and beasts of course. Though I cannot say the same for a city."

"Oh. Is that what you're thinking?"

"What?"

Hearing Holo respond in such an indifferent way, especially after he mentioned her homeland, made Lawrence look in her direction in concern. Seeing his face, Holo sighs an insufferable breath and moves herself so that she came to lie against his chest, their eyes meeting briefly before she came to rest against him. It caught him off guard but did not alarm him, as her cryptic, and often invasive, ways no longer seem to faze him as much as they did in the early part of their relationship.

"Never mind. I'm tired. I wish to sleep for a while."

He simply nodded. Holo rested her head against his shoulder and went still. He had remembered when she had done this back in Tereo, when they were looking through books on what had happened to Yoitsu. Down in the basement of the abbey, she had forced her head down onto Lawrence's' lap, stating that she wanted to sleep and that Lawrence was to read in her stead. The only difference was that he wasn't reading at the moment and she did not force herself to sleep on him.

No, it was him that had been running through her mind since leaving that unfortunate little village. Seeing it today had made Holo more aware of a human's mortality. This, combined with the impending threat of having to part ways upon arriving at Yoitsu, was what made Holo so distracted. Of course, Lawrence was not aware of this and thus, let her be.

Lawrence raised his free hand and stroked the top of Holos' head. Her ears drooped as he did this, loving the feel of his hand on her head but at the same time feeling painfully sad. It especially made her chest hurt. Her tail swished once and came to curl into her cloak and over his waist. Seeing this, Lawrence puts the stick down beside him and brings his arms around her small frame. Holo instinctively draws closer into him as her eyes become weary.

He doesn't know why but holding Holo like this made him feel a bit protective of her, wanting to shield her from anything that may cause her harm.

The rest of the night went smoothly and quietly, with nothing but the crackling of the fire to disturb the silence.

**-End**

**A/N:** So this is chapter 2! I was having a harder time with this one. I meant to ask this in the first one but was anxious to get this ship sailing, so how is it so far? Trying my best to keep the characters the same (though I'm probably failing at it...). Also, I had to make some MAJOR modifications from the original chapter I had made. I was looking at the geology of the story and found that Nyohhira was actually farther than Yoitsu, so I had to change the direction a little. Still, some feedback would be nice, just to get some helpful hints and the like, y'know? I'm faltering a bit...oy.

Heh, big thanks to Sailordeedlit for reviewing! Don't worry, I gotta build up to that scene (dammit...) so it'll be "M" to save me the time of having to go in and change the rating (leaving me more time to write! ^w^).

Thanks for reading! Chapter 3 to come soon!


	3. Cause for concern

**Fan Fiction:** Spice and wolf

**Title:** Eternity and wolf

**Chapter# 3-** Cause for concern

Three days and three nights have passed since they came upon the unfortunate little village. Lawrence felt an uneasy churning in his gut and let out a slight groan. Holo, who was napping in the wagon bed at the time, picked her head up and eyed the back of his head. Lawrence didn't need a second pair of eyes to let him know that she was doing that. From his time spent with the wizened wolf of Yoitsu he knew well enough to trust in his newfound "second sight" when it came to anything he knew would draw her attention (whether he meant it to or not).

"What? It's just a cry from my gullet, that's all. Since we ate the last of our provisions the day before, we haven't had anything to eat. Surely you haven't forgotten."

Holo said nothing, only stared at him with that look that seem to say "you had better not be lying" or something like that. Lawrence shook his head and chuckled lightly, which made him cough a little. Holo's ears twitched as if they had caught a subtle sound in the wind and she neared him seriously, crawling out of her usual napping spot nestled between his cargos. He turned to her and started to say something when she thrust a water skin in his face and motioned for him to take a drink. Nodding his quiet 'Thank you', Lawrence took a drink from the skin. The sudden moist contact in his throat made him sputter and choke on the water, with him coughing loud and long. Holo patted his back in an attempt to try and stop his coughing. Lawrence beat at his chest with his fist until he felt his throat clear and he was able to take in a good breath.

Once Lawrence settled down, he let out a relieved sigh and handed the water skin back to Holo, feeling a little light headed.

"That did not sound good."

"Ahem! Ahh, didn't feel good either. My throat feels raw now from all that coughing."

"Are you alright now?"

"Yes, thank you."

Holo saw that a small drop of water still clung to Lawrence's' chin. She reaches over to wipe it but suddenly looks like she is about to become upset.

"You are warm."

"Erm, thank you?"

"No, you idiot! Your face; it feels warm, too warm."

Holo places her hand over his forehead and winces, drawing her hand away as if she had touched a flame. Lawrence then places his own hand over his forehead and see's that Holo was right.

"You are ill. We should stop for a while."

"But I feel alright. And besides, we need to keep going until we get to another town or else it's another night without eating. And if it is indeed that I 'am getting sick then my demise is assured lest we get a move on."

"Then I shall assume my wolf form and carry you to a neighboring town and obtain a treatment! Such a thing is not something to be taken lightly after all. And besides that, it was you that had said that getting sick out here in the wilderness or in a forest meant you would surely die, was it not?"

"...!"

Holo jumped over to her seat next to Lawrence and was not in a mood to negotiate.

"Even if you did that, what about my wares? I can't just leave my horse and cargo out for bandits or anyone else to steal in broad daylight!"

"Lawrence!"

At that point Lawrence held up his index finger in front of her face to stop her in her verbal tracks.

"What I mean is, if it comes to the worst case scenario then we can do that. Until then, we should stay the course until we get to civilization, or something close to it."

Holo let out a huff and silently conceded to his plan, though she did little to hide it.

Just as it seemed that it was going to be a long and tense day, Holo spots a large carriage coming in the opposite direction. It looked old and was made entirely out of old wood and parts made up of metals and it seemed to be in a good enough state, like that of a coach used to escort nobles and royalty. She covers her head with her hood and points over the rolling hills in the carriages' direction.

"Very well. Let us meet up with that person coming upwind of us. Once we reach them, we shall rest there on the side of the road. They seem to have a big enough wagon, perhaps they are a merchants themselves."

Lawrence thought about it and it seemed reasonable enough. Smiling at Holo, Lawrence put his hands in the air as if waving an invisible white flag of defeat.

"Alright, fair enough. I guess I should take my own advice about taking care of oneself when getting sick, eh?"

Satisfied, Holo smiled at him. On the outside Lawrence did appear fit enough, however Holo's senses were a hundred times better than his own, and a hundred times faster as well. She could tell that he was indeed coming down with something. How bad of a something it was, she could not tell. But she did not want to risk it.

"Ho there!"

Lawrence waved to the other traveler as they drew closer to one another. The other person, it was hard to see if it was a man or a woman due to their hood, waved back at them. They had a black horse pulling their wagon with a white mane lining its thick neck. The traveler appeared to be clad in a black robe (it reminded Lawrence of the alchemist Dian's choice of garb) or maybe a dark purple color, it was hard to say.

Examining the exterior of the wagon, Lawrence saw no type of banners flying or any familiar insignias to be seen. He figured that it was most likely another merchant like them, making rounds and going from town to town for whatever trading company they are contracted with. If that was the case, then trading and purchasing something from them would not be a problem. They could get some provisions and ask about the town or village they were coming from.

It was midday when they finally crossed paths with each other. Lawrence was surprised that the person driving the wagon was a woman (a young woman at that, maybe around Norah's age or so) whereas Holo was less than amused. She had bobbed jet-black hair with a long and thin beaded braid on the right side of her cheek, with the nape of her neck exposed. She had deep green eyes and pale skin. And her robes were a dark blue color.

"Greetings! I'm a travelling merchant. I'm Kraft Lawrence. And this is my business partner, Holo."

The girl looked between the two and nodded politely.

"My name is Agetha Grymesly."

"Very nice to make your acquaintance, Miss Agetha. I was wondering if you would happen to be carrying anything you wish to trade or sell. You see, we are low on some provisions, and need to get some."

"Ah, I'm sorry, Mister Lawrence, but I'm no merchant like you and your companion."

"I see. Very well then. Can you at least tell us where it is you are coming from and how long it will take us to reach it?"

Agetha had a hesitant look on her face for a brief moment before answering. Both Lawrence and Holo noticed this.

"I came quite a ways from the nearest village. It's at least two days' time before you will reach it."

Lawrence was unable to hide his look of disappointment and he smiled sadly. He let out a breath and wiped a bead of sweat rolling down his face.

"I see. " He said hoarsely.

"Um, but if it is provisions that you require, I have plenty to spare. Most of it is dried meat and some hard bread though."

"Very well. Uh,,,H-How's about two silver pieces for...for..."

His vision swam and his head became light and dizzy. It made his head hurt, the light of the afternoon sun not making it any better to deal with. Lawrence shook his head and tried to steady himself.

"Lawrence?"

"I'm okay, Holo."

"Mister Lawrence, are you alright?"

"Unfortunately, my idiotic companion has gotten himself sick during our travel and is getting worse apparently. Have you anything for ailments? A remedy or an _elixir_ of some sorts perhaps?"

Agetha looked a bit stunned before she composed herself, maintaining a calm and pleasant looking face.

"Ah, so you can tell then?"

"I can. We met up with someone back in Kumersum some time ago and her dwelling had a particular smell to it. And your wagon is giving off that same smell."

Agetha nodded her head in resignation, a sad but still pleasant looking smile still across her face.

"Yes, I 'am an alchemist myself. So it seems you've met the alchemist Dian Rubens. I was once under her tutelage in the arts of alchemy when I was young. Although I have long since mastered what she had to offer, I'm afraid an elixir is out of the question. Oh! But..."

Agetha went behind her wagon and began rummaging through her belongings. A loud commotion of metal clanging against metal, fabrics and other sturdy material being moved against each other could be heard from where Holo stood. Her and Lawrence look to each other and shrug their shoulders simultaneously. The young alchemist returns with a two leather bags in her hand, one being about the same size as the pouch around Holo's neck that holds the wheat and the other bag is the same as their provision sack.

Holo scrunched up her nose and sniffed harshly, obviously not liking the strong smell coming from the bag. And Lawrence could understand why.

"Are those herbs in there?"

"Yes, it's a combination of lemon balm*, fever few*, some marshmellow plants*, Nettle*, and some fennel* for flavor. With this Mister Lawrence should be better in no time. Oh! Almost forgot. One moment please!"

Once again Agetha disappeared behind her wagon. This time she retrieved a small cooking pot with a makeshift stand made from tempered iron.

"You can use this to boil the water."

"So he is to drink this as a tea, correct?"

"Precisely!"

Agetha hands Holo the pot and iron stand. She looks to Agetha in a suspicious way, her eyes narrow and serious.

"And you are sure that this concoction of herbs will help Lawrence?"

"Of course it will. Here, I'll even demonstrate it for you and show you how to prepare it properly."

Agetha guided them and her wagon to the side of the dirt road at a good distance, being cautious of any other eyes that might see them. No one was about and so she went on to prepare the tea. Holo helped to dig a small pit for a small controlled fire. Once the fire was going, Agetha placed the iron above the fire, then the pot over the stand. Taking a water skin from her pack Agetha pours the water into the pot. Now Holo hands her the small pouch of the powdered herbal remedy. Agetha takes a small amount into her fingertips and sprinkles it into the water. She then covers it with the pots lid and sits back.

"And now we must let it come to a boil."

"That is it? No incantation of some sort?"

At hearing Lawrence's' question Agetha chuckles softly and shakes her head.

"No, simply boiling the remedy is enough to bring out the healing properties. Now this will take some time to take effect. So Mister Lawrence, you will have to drink a cup of this tea three times a day for two weeks. That should keep whatever is ailing you at bay."

"Thank you very much, Agetha. Ah, I almost forgot! Now getting back to what I wanted to ask you, how does two-No, six silver pieces sound for all of this?"

"Six silver pieces?"

"Yes. I' am a merchant after all. I have an eye for the quality of the goods presented in front of me and from where I stand, these are a fine quality. Uh, is the price no good?"

Lawrence looked to the young alchemist and thought he had insulted her, for her eyes began to moisten and her face became a slight shade of pink. At a glance, it looked as though he had startled her into tears.

"You...you say my goods are of a fine quality?"

"Well..." he coughs in between his words, knowing he shouldn't strain his voice too much but wants to make sure he had not done the girl harm or insulted her in any way.

"Well, yes. And besides that... (Cough) you have gone out of your way to help us. I'd feel like a thief if I couldn't repay you in some way (cough)."

Becoming exhausted, Lawrence takes a drink from his own water skin and slumps his shoulders. Holo comes close to Lawrence and brings him close to her so that he was leaning against her shoulder. An easy sigh was his thanks to her, to which Holo smiled. He was still sweaty from his fever but Holo let him be, feeling his frame grow heavy against her as he fell into a light sleep.

"You must excuse my companion; he's an idiot concerning things other than coin. If it's alright with you, please accept these six silver pieces on our behalf."

Agetha wiped at her eyes as Holo extended her hand to give her the coins.

"A-Ah, pardon me. I'm afraid what Mister Lawrence said about my things struck a cord in me and I became emotional. You see, these things belonged to my mother and father. They...passed away about a fortnight ago while I was away from home."

A somber look came over Holo's face at hearing the girls words, bringing a dull sting to rise in her chest. She too had lost her home and was well aware of the girls' pain. And not only did she lose her home but her parents as well! And so soon. So soon...

"A fortnight you say?"

"Yes, a fortnight ago. Something made the people in the village very sick and killed them, my mother and father included."

Holo faced the girl with all seriousness in her eyes. It was too coincidental to be anything but what Holo had just figured out. Her tail bristled beneath her robes and it was getting difficult to keep her ears from flicking forward as her body tensed. This was no chance meeting.

"That village back there...was your home?"

Agetha averted her eyes from Holo's gaze, their intensity making it difficult to speak. It was not out of fear that she was finding it hard to find words, but it was out of sheer bitterness, resentment and anger. Her hands became fists in her lap, her knuckles becoming white as her fingers tightened around the fabric of her robe.

"Yes...it was my home. My friends, my family...they are all dead. And..."

Agetha had to pause in order to get the rest of her words out, her pleasant demeanor becoming all at once cold and unforgiving. It was almost enough to make Holo unsettled.

"...And I' am on my way to burn my village down to the ground."

At that exact time, the lid to the pot slips to the side as its contents begin to boil over.

**-End**

A/N: just little bits of info regarding the herbs used. Lemon balm*, fever few**, marshmellow plants***, Nettle****, fennel*****

*Lemon Balm- Relieves anxiety and stress. Gentle herbs with a lemon smell and mint flavor.

**Fever few- Prevents migraines and headaches.

***Marshmellow plants (Yes, it's a PLANT, not the confectionary type. I was surprised too.)- Used to treat coughs and sore throats.

****Nettle- Also for treating coughs also helps with asthma and relieves arthritis.

*****Fennel- Has the taste of anise or licorice. Also treats indigestion and flatulence (not that that should be a problem...right? 0_0"

Alright, that's it for now. Review and tell me whatcha think! Laters!


	4. Do or Die

**Fan Fiction:** Spice and wolf

**Title:** Spice and wolf

**A/N:** Wow! What a major jump in reviews, more than I was expecting! A BIG thanks to renielle14 and Waffl3z0wnu for your reviews! You guys are awesome! And to answer renielle14, Yes it is. This fan fic is based post season 2. I don't know whether a third season is coming out (fingers crossed! w) so I just improvised and went from there (Disclaimer: I don't own anything from "Spice and Wolf'', just so I don't get in trouble. Heh! ^^").

And also, I gotta suggest something to whoever reads this fan fic. I've recently come across a video from youtube that is, of course, a Holo and Lawrence tribute. The song, which is sung so beautifully by a charming singer named KOKIA, is called "Daiji na mono wa mabuta no ura" and is a very inspiring song to listen to and one that I've been listening to since I posted the second chapter. I think it's such a touching song to put with this pairing, and it fits them to a tee (though, for the life of me, I have no idea what the lyrics translate to. If anybody finds the translation for this song, plz PM me!). Any "Spice and wolf" addict should go have a listen! It's made by soccergirl1292 but I'll save you the trouble, just type in "Horo x Lawrence" when you get into youtube, it only says that so it shouldn't be too hard to find. If anyone has an account there, watch it and review it (if you can OR want to). Such a beautiful song for such a beautiful couple...Ahh, this old Hound's getting off track! Anyway, just wanted (had) to get that out there. ^w^

**Chapter# 4-** Do or Die

It was night time now. The fire still burned strongly in the small pit. The iron stand sat beside the fire and was cooling, the pots' contents drunk long ago. They all sat in silence around the fire, with Lawrence sitting beside Holo and Agetha sitting on the other side by herself. She had told them of what she was to do once she got to whatever was left of her village. Once there, she had to set everything ablaze. Before that, she had to unearth the peoples' remains and burn them in a separate pile. All this was to be done within seven days' time. She had set out two days ago from the neighboring town, a town called "Pyrhoz". The church there, once they found out what had happened, had hired Agetha to take care of the infected village in any way she saw fit.

Lawrence had a question in his eyes, but looking at Agetha and her expression as she spoke of the details of her tasks, his question was already answered. She wanted to do this alone.

Knowing his wolf of a companion, she had probably figured it out long before he did. She was also uncharacteristically alert at the moment. It was as if she was watching Agetha, trying to catch any disapproving movement. This girl had Holo alert; Lawrence thought it must've been for a good reason but did not press Holo to tell him. He knew her well enough to know that she would tell him in due time.

"So now the both of you know of what lays ahead of me. It is quite an unhappy deed to carry out, but I knew those people. And I feel it best for me to carry out such a task. Don't you think, Miss Holo?"

She addressed Holo with a sad smile, to which Holo merely nodded. The girl took a sip from her cup to calm herself.

"Well, that was quite a relieving feeling! I do apologize for dampening your day with talk of my troubles. But it has been such a long time since I've had a proper conversation, I just needed to talk to someone and get it out of my chest. I found I couldn't help myself."

"No need to apologize, Agetha. It's such a heavy thing to bear silently. I doubt even the strongest king of kings could even cope with that."

He ended his sentence with a small burst of coughing and downed the last of his tea. Holo patted his back and shook her head.

"You see? My companion is quite a troublesome fellow himself, so you needn't think of yourself a bother to either of us."

Agetha nodded and laughed lightly. Lawrence let out a hard and loud cough, covering his mouth so that he would not spit on Holo. He felt something come up from his throat and onto his hand. At first he thought it to be some phlegm and did not think anything of it. However when he looked down, Lawrence saw that his palm was covered in blood. Holo saw his expression and looked into his hand. She let out an involuntary gasp at seeing his hand.

"What on earth?"

"Miss Holo, what's wrong?"

Agetha stood up quickly at seeing Holo so distressed.

"H-Holo...what is-"

Lawrence began coughing again, the fit causing him to wheeze and bleed some more. Holo held onto Lawrence as his shoulders shook violently. Agetha came around the fire and knelt beside Lawrence.

"Here, let me see him."

Holo held onto him defensively, her eyes telling Agetha to stay away. Agetha reached into her small pack resting against her hip and took out a small device that looked like a small telescope.

"Miss Holo, please! I need to see what is wrong with him! It may be an allergic reaction to the tea. If that is the case then I can help him, but you need to let me help!"

Irritated, Holo eased her hold on Lawrence and grabs a small log from the fire to give Agetha some light. Agetha moves in and opens Lawrence's' mouth, using her telescope to look inside. There was nothing obstructing his throat, that much was good, but she could see it was severely raw from the coughing. Suddenly, a white substance begins to rise from his throat and Agetha feels him shaking. He was convulsing!

"What in blue blazes?"

Agetha saw that his eyes were rolled to the back of his head and he began to sputter and choke on the foam rising from his mouth. Cursing under her breath, Agetha reaches into her pack yet again and produces a carved spoon. She then forces his mouth open again and lodges it sideways into his mouth, just in time as his teeth came down strongly upon the bone material. Better the spoon then his tongue, she thought to herself.

"Agetha!"

"This is no good. At this rate-"

"Speak up, damn you!"

"He's in a bad way, Miss Holo! His sickness was far worse than I had anticipated. If this keeps up-"

"Oh, never mind!"

Holo reached into her tunic and pulled out the small pouch of wheat that hung around her neck. Taking some in her hand, Holo was about to stab the bits of food into her mouth when a pale hand came strongly over her wrist.

"Stay your hand, Miss Holo. He's not lost to you yet."

Agetha was so calm that it made Holo's tail bristle and stick straight up, puffing out of her skirt and exposed. Holo saw that Agetha now had a knowing look on her face, knowing and somewhat relieved.

"Do you inquire that I stand and do nothing while I watch Lawrence die?"

She looked briefly at Lawrence in his current state and regretted it, seeing him now made her chest hurt almost unbearably. Holo faced Agetha with a deadly seriousness as an angry moisture rose in her eyes.

"If you have something in mind, then do it now, alchemist!"

Agetha looked painfully at Holo and then to where Lawrence lay. His mouth was still foaming and his body was still jerking about wildly, with him making sickly gurgling sounds. She lets out a breath and begins to act.

"Miss Holo! At the front of my wagon is a small dark blue vial in a hidden compartment beneath the seat. Bring me that vial!"

Holo pounces into action, sprinting towards their wagons and clawing her way onto Agetha's wagon. She feels around beneath the seat and finds an uneven slant into the wood. Using her fingernail, Holo opens up the secret compartment and the small vial falls into her hand. Holo turns around and goes back to where the others were.

When Holo gets back, she sees that Agetha had made a circle in the dirt along the area of where Lawrence was. Inside of the circle, using a thick stick, she had made indiscernible markings looking to an archaic incantation of some sort. As Agetha finished writing in the ground, she stood up straight and faced Holo. Something small and red trickled down the corner of her mouth. Holo approached and handed her the vial.

"What now?"

Agetha took the vial and held it up to the torch, shaking it to verify it still had some of its contents.

Saying nothing, Agetha pulls the cork off of the vial and goes back to Lawrence. Bringing his head up, she pours a small amount of the liquid into his mouth, seeing it flow over his clenched teeth and into the back of his mouth. Lawrence stops in his convulsing and goes still, the spoon falling away from his mouth and clattering onto the ground and his eyes were now closed. She then motions for Holo to come closer, to which Holo does so readily.

"Now then, take whatever is in that pouch of yours and put it into your mouth but do not swallow! You will have to deposit the contents of your mouth into Mister Lawrence's' mouth. From there, I will take over."

With no hesitation, Holo does as she is directed. Taking a small amount of wheat into her hand, she puts it into her mouth and kneels over Lawrence. She parted his lips and brought her lips down onto his, slipping the wheat from her mouth into his with her tongue. Holo rose up and stepped back, wiping the corner of her mouth as she did.

"Good. Now, what I 'am about to do will take some space so please, step back."

Holo stepped back, setting herself outside the circles' barrier and watched them. Agetha smiled at her, as if to assure her that Lawrence was going to be alright. To that, Holo only nodded, giving Agetha her permission to proceed.

Agetha turned back her task. From her pouch she pulled out a jewel made from amethyst that hung on a silver chain. Holding it in her hand, Agetha's arm began to tremble as the long sleeve of her robe fell away from her forearm to reveal the same archaic symbols she had written onto the ground were also etched into her skin. A light began to shine from the symbols, in turn making the jewel and the ground light up as well. From Holo's point of view, a small crackle of electricity sparked forth from her arm. It crackled around her once, then twice more. It occurred a third time but it had grown in size. Soon, both Agetha and Lawrence were engulfed in a small storm, like a controlled lightening pit. Agetha's braid came undone from the power of the lightening spouting forth from her arm, the beads falling away and scattering on the ground. The design she had made on the ground guided the brightly colored beads so that they were spread out precisely in a formation in order to protect anyone in the surrounding area from the force of what was to come and to keep its force contained.

The lightening, which was swirling around Agetha's body, became concentrated so that it crackled violently only in her arm. Her face was twisted with pain and determination. She looked to Lawrence once she had complete control over the bright power and muttered a faint apology before she brought her arm down and pressing her hand into his chest, making him pitch forward and bits of foam and sweat fly. Stabbing the energy into his chest made the lightening spark and crackle out of control and for a moment; they disappeared into a brilliant and powerful crash of white hot energy. Holo had to shield her eyes from the blinding light.

After a while she felt the light die down. Holo looked back towards where Agetha and Lawrence were, seeing the dirt settle around them. Agetha still had her hand on Lawrence's' chest and she was breathing heavily, her hair badly mussed and her robes dirty.

An unearthly vibration made the ground beneath Holos' feet quake briefly, like giants' stomping footfalls. Holo felt something more was to occur and stood ready. Agetha, who appeared spent and dazed, snapped alert and turned to Holo with urgency.

"GET BACK!"

Just as she said those words, a giant flash of white sprang forth from where Lawrence was, making a sound like a rushing stampede and then all went still just as quickly. Holo had jumped back in time to avoid being crushed, whereas Agetha disappeared from her sights.

What Holo saw next made her utterly and entirely speechless.

**-End**

**A/N:** Heh, sorry but I'm gonna leave it here at the moment. It wouldn't be any fun if I was too nice and put everything into one little chapter, y'know? I'm pretty sure you can guess what's gonna come but you don't know what I got in store next so, 'til next time! w

Review plz! They keep me going. =OwO=


	5. Beasts by campfire

**Fan Fiction: **Spice and wolf

**Title: **Eternity and wolf

**Chapter# 5- **Beasts by campfire

Everything was still and silent, as if time itself had stopped entirely. Holo stood with her mouth gaping open and her eyes wide. It seemed like a millennium had passed before Holo could make her feet move. She was stunned into silence, unable to get any words out as she stepped closer to the huge spectacle in front of her.

Could this...really be Lawrence?

**Lawrence's POV:**

_Ugh...what happened? It feels as though I've been run over by a farmers' oxen ten times over. My body...feels heavy. I feel hot. My heart's hammering in my chest. Has someone widened the fire and made it stronger? I don't remember it being this warm before. It's pitch black, I can't see anything. I have to try to move, but my entire body hurts. Perhaps I was hit by something after all. No, wait. That's not entirely right. Where is Holo and Agetha? Have we been ambushed by bandits? No, I don't feel any panic or urgency. Egads, man! Calm yourself. First thing's first, I must move myself and get to Holo and Agetha. Hmm? What is that smell? It smells...nice. It smells soft and earthly, like a wild flower. But there were no flowers near our camp. Wait, it smells familiar...I like this smell. It has quite an alluring and attractive pull to it. Alright, man. Time to push yourself up now. Have to find Holo and Agetha and see what has happened._

Beyond the confines of Lawrence's mind, Holo was there, outside. She approached slowly, for before her very eyes lay the huge form of an arctic wolf! With fur as silver white as the strongest snow storm back in her home of Yoitsu. Holo had to pinch herself in order to see that she was not dreaming. She came close to the front of his snout and stretched her hand to touch him and in that moment, she saw him shift slightly. The huge white wolf laying on the ground began to stir, making an unearthly growling sound that made the ground tremble slightly. She pulled her hand away and stepped back, for no one knew how a rising wolf would react better than a wolf such as herself.

The great white beast moved its shoulder first, then moved its entire arm. It raised itself on its arms slowly into a sitting position and opened its eyes. Holo saw that they were a piercing cerulean color, shining fiercer than the fire. She hears it take in a deep breath and slowly rear its had and neck back so that its nose was skyward, and it lets out a long and powerful howl into the night, making trees tremble and other woodland creatures scatter frantically. Holo heard it howl and wondered if this is how frightening she must have appeared to the world. She herself was not afraid of it, for she knew the person it belonged to.

After its howl died down, the white wolf shook its great big head and licked its muzzle. The wolf looked around and spotted a small figure standing in front of it. It recognized the figure as its travelling partner, the wise wolf of Yoitsu herself, Holo.

_"Holo! What are you doing down there? Where has- Ah!"_

Lawrence moved his body so that he would stand up on his feet, unfortunately he was not aware he now had four of them now and actually managed to get his wolf body to come up on its hind legs for a brief moment before he fell onto his forepaws. The ground quaked as his paws slammed down into the earth, making Holo jump with the moving earth.

_"W-What the hell?"_

"Calm down, you fool! Before you tarnish our entire camp!"

She could hear the horses going hysterical by their wagons. Lawrence noticed as well and willed his form to calm down. Holo saw his great white tail move anxiously about as he stared at her, his cerulean eyes seemingly seeing through her.

"Try to recall what happened prior to your transformation, Lawrence. Remember?"

He cocked his head to the side in confusion and let out a breath, making his body lay down. Holo had to admit, for a newly made wolf Lawrence was controlling his body rather well, but then again it was to be expected of her cool and calculating merchant.

_"Oh, that's right. I became sick. It was difficult to breathe when I had a fit of coughing and my head hurt a great deal. I couldn't manage to hold it back any longer and hacked violently. I remember tasting blood, and then...that is all I can remember of that. I know you, Holo. And also, the alchemist Age- Agetha! Where has she gone?"_

Holo looked around, wanting to know the very same thing. It wasn't until she looked to the ground where Lawrence lay and saw a strip of something dark beneath his white fur. She bends to pick it up and sniffs it, her ears drooping as she confirms its origin.

"It's...a piece of her robes. But I do not smell-"

An ear shattering shriek rang out in the night sky overhead. Holo and Lawrence looked up and saw something fly past the shining moon, its silhouette sleek and menacing from afar. Its wings were wide and its cry rang out for miles, same as a wolfs' howl. The black silhouette flew high before it turned around and darted into a nosedive, right towards the two travellers. Neither of them moved as it came closer. Just as it seemed as though it was going to crash right into them, it changed its aim at the last second and landed to their right side, its feet hitting the earth hard and making dust and grass fly about.

When it settled, they saw that the silhouette had belonged to a huge fruit bat, with wide dark green eyes and a toothy grin on its muzzle. It had pitch black fur and two leathery wings tucked at its sides. It was bigger than a human but it stood at about half of Lawrence's size.

_"You two are no fun at all, you know that? Though it didn't surprise me at all that you didn't flinch at seeing me fly in so quickly."_

_"Agetha?"_

_"Aye, it's me, Mister Lawrence."_

"Hmph. It took you long enough. Honestly, such a dramatic way to introduce your true self to a pair of wolves such as ourselves."

The great fruit bat let out a screeching laughter at hearing Holo's irritated little speech.

_"Ah, but could you blame me for it?"_

To this Holo smiled. Though it was not a pleasant first time showing Lawrence her true form, every other time after that, when she assumed her wolf form Holo would often tease Lawrence and have fun at his expense.

"Heh heh, hardly."

_"So you're not human then?"_

_"No, I'm not, Mister Lawrence. And now, neither are you."_

Lawrence looked at himself, seeing huge white paws attached to his arms, with black claws jutting out of each digit. Holo let out a laugh at seeing her present company. Off in the background. the horses had calmed down by the wagons.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! What an odd meeting of animals this has turned out to be."

_"So you are just like Holo then?"_

_"Well, yes and no. Just like Miss Holo, my transformation needs compensation. Whereas Miss Holo has wheat, I have blackberries. I had some with me in my pack. The difference is in our make. I' am a Fruit Bat, and Miss Holo is a wolf, yes?"_

_"Okay, that's all well and good. But do you mind explaining why I' am like this, please?"_

Lawrence movd his head to look at Agetha. It was not a wise move, for as soon as he had done that Lawrence became instantly light-headed. He felt something shift in his belly and he let out a moist hack, something rising from his gut and coming out of his mouth. Holo winced at hearing it. Lawrence shook his head and licked his chops, looking down to see what it was that had come up. On the ground was spit and faint orange bits, as well as the tea he had drank earlier.

_"That is why, Mister Lawrence. Whatever you ate prior to our meeting is what made you sick."_

Now it had made sense. Thinking back, he remembered he had eaten a carrot with a dirt clod stuck in its cavity. Or at least, he thought it was a dirt clod.

_"I see."_

_"Yes. I was worried that it was seeing my lost village and being exposed to it is what made you sick. While you drank the tea I had noticed a faint and sweet smelling aroma coming from you. The tea was to act as a healing agent, as well as to flush the bad stuff out of your system. This reaction,"_

Agetha pointed to the spot where Lawrence had thrown up, _"was caused by the effects of the tea."_

"And the alchemy you performed?"

Agetha looked at Holo as she spoke her question. Holo could tell that Agetha was smiling sadly, and now that he was the same as Holo, so could Lawrence.

_"That...was not to heal Mister Lawrence. His condition was far more worse than his body was letting on. Come this time the next evening, he would have been dead. I wasn't surprised that you had not noticed, Miss Holo. He has been sick for a few days, that much I know you knew, but his body is surprisingly fit for a human. So much so that, were it not for the fits of coughing he had to endure, even you would not have noticed."_

Agetha stretched her wings and let out a yawn, showing the rows of small and sharp teeth in her mouth.

_"No, the alchemy that I had performed was to change him, and save his life. I made it so that Mister Lawrence would be just like you, like us to be more precise. And now, he is."_

Now Holo understood why Agetha had instructed her to give Lawrence the wheat from her mouth, and why she had something red running down the corner of her mouth. Agetha had eaten a blackberry because she knew she would not have enough time to move out of the way as Lawrence transformed and used her bat form to fly out of the way. Just then, something else rose in Holo's mind.

"So why did you help us? You have only met us for a day and half a night, we are but strangers to you. It was we that troubled you, and yet you save the life of my companion and- I must ask you, why?"

"Would you rather I did nothing?"

Holo's face twisted in anger and her tail bristled up as she became annoyed by the bat's mocking response. Lawrence nudged her head with his chin as if to reprimand her for reacting that way. Holo pushed his chin away with a "humph!" and crossed her arms over her chest. Agetha thought they looked quite adorable but decided she had played around with Holo long enough and became sincere.

"I do realize that I owe nothing to you two. We were but strangers passing by each other on the same road, with nothing in common save for our wagons and our horses pulling them. In truth, I did so because I would've liked for someone to have been able to give my home a second chance and save it for me since I was away. It is too late to save my village, but there was still time for your friend to be saved. And so, I acted thusly."

Holo looked away as Agetha spoke, her words touching home for Holo, who was almost like her as well. But Holo came from a forest. If Agetha came from a human village-

"The people there adopted me and raised me as if I was their very own. The man who was my step father was a blacksmith and his wife, my step mother, was an expert in herbs as well as having her own herb and vegetable garden, and both were very loving and kind to me and to each other. My human form is quite young so when I found the village, they took me for an orphan and accepted me as their own. I have lived long but that was my first real loving family since the time of my birth."

Holo felt she knew enough and accepted her story as being true. In the entirety since their meeting, Agetha has never lied to either of them, so Holo let it be at that.

"So what happens now?"

It was Holo that put the question to the group. She came close to Lawrence's forearm and took a comfy spot at the bended crook where the elbow bent. His fur was like that of her own, if not finer. She heard him sigh as he lay his head down between his paws. Agetha licked her muzzle where some of the blackberry juice stayed and began to dry.

_"For me, I still have my village to take care of. After that, I'm not sure. What about you two?"_

_"I' am fulfilling my promise to escort my companion here to her homeland of Yoitsu"_

_"Yoitsu, eh? Interesting. You know of it's current state, do you not?"_

_"Aye, we do."_

_"And still, you choose to go there?"_

"Yes. Even if there is nothing or no one waiting for us there, we are staying the course."

At this, Agetha let out another laugh.

_"I commend you two then. You both are a force to be reckoned with, that much is for sure. But what of your days as a merchant, Mister Lawrence?"_

Holo's ear flicked in his direction, waiting for him to answer as she too was interested in hearing his answer. In all of her worry, Holo had not taken into consideration what would become of his days as a merchant. True, she did not know what Agetha had in mind in the beginning, and she was very grateful to her for saving his life, but what of his connections to the trade guild? To the fatherly Jakob Tarantino, who held Lawrence like that of his own son? Along with the relief that Lawrence would be alright, a bitter guilty feeling welled up in Holo's heart as well. Lawrence noticed her sudden change in mood and let out a tense yawn. His big blue eyes looked up in thought, his tail swishing to and fro in deep contemplation. And then came his answer.

_"That will be for me to decide."_

Agetha nodded respectfully in response. The next thing any of them knew, Agetha shrunk back down to her human size, her short black fur receding back into her pale human flesh and making her stand before the other two, naked. Like Holo, she apparently had no problem with being nude. Lawrence was unaware that he was gawking at Agetha until he felt Holo's tail slap his chin in a not-so-playful manner. He shook his head as he came to and looked at Holo, who looked quite pissed off. Agetha laughed heartily and went to her wagon for another robe.

"You two make quite a pair. For future reference, Mister Lawrence, please do take care and watch where you set your eyes. You'll live longer that way."

As Agetha spoke, Lawrence caught the gist of her advice and let out snort, as if to say "you don't have to tell me twice".

Already Lawrence felt this was going to be a long night. But he was wondering what tomorrow would bring for them and before long, he lay his massive head down to sleep, with Holo nestled up beside his cheek.

Agetha emerges from her wagon fully clothed now, and sees the two asleep together. Lawrence looked worn from his ordeal, whereas Holo looked to be more than content. She looked happy, smiling in her sleep. Agetha was pleased that she has helped.

**-End**

**A/N: **And so, chapter 5 is done! Now that Lawrence is a wolf himself, what will he do with his connections, his wares, and his life? He has been given a second chance, thanks to the alchemist Agetha but had Agetha told them the whole of their new found situation? Perhaps it's not just Lawrence's position as a merchant that has been changed. What else is there, you ask? Heh, all in due time, I'm afraid. 'Til the next chapter then! Review, plz! Still goin' strong! WOOF!


	6. Parting and getting started

**Fan Fiction: **Spice and wolf

**Title: **Eternity and wolf

**A/N: **Wow! So much positive feedback! Heh, for all that have reviewed this fan fic, you guys are really great and an absolute help! It seems the more I get, the better for my morale. The better my morale, the better my fan fic! Thanks, guys 'n' gals! I'll try and not disappoint your expectations. Whew! Alright, just wanted to get that out there. I'm good now. Moving on! ^w^

**Chapter# 6- **Parting and starting

They sun hung high overhead as birds sang their song to the clouds. Holo had awoken to find that she had buried herself deep into Lawrence's fur, and became embarrassed. She was quick to shift the blame onto Lawrence, stating that he was at fault for moving so much in his sleep and had almost crushed her. Lawrence barked back in his defense and pushed Holo back with his big black nose, unintentionally using too much force that made Holo fall back onto the grass.

It was the alchemist Agetha who had seen them bicker and argue since she had risen. She couldn't help but to giggle to herself at seeing how easily (or uneasily) the two got along, despite the sudden turn of events. She was a little worried at first, afraid this entire ordeal would put a strain on their relationship but after seeing them argue, she had a good feeling that she had nothing to worry about. Smiling to herself, Agetha turned to her horse and climbed onto her wagon, taking the reins and situating herself at the drivers' seat.

"Well, it appears that you two will do just fine after all."

"I appreciate what you have done for Lawrence and me. We are in your debt, Agetha."

"Oh, it was no trouble. Of course, I will not be able to do it again for a while, so please take better care of yourself, Mister Lawrence."

_"I will be more careful from now on, I promise."_

As he finishes speaking, Holo jabs her elbow into his arm, making him let out a beastly grunt as she did.

"If this great big dunce knows what's good for him, he had better."

Agetha laughs at seeing them like that. It was something she had never had herself but she felt it for the better. Letting out a pleased huff, Agetha took firm hold on the reins.

"I wish the absolute best for the both of you. Now Mister Lawrence, you must not strain yourself too much. Get used to your new form but do not overdo it. I'm sure Miss Holo will be more than happy to help you out in the future."

_"Already I can feel her unrelenting teachings forced on me. Heh, I should be so lucky. I get to relive my apprentice days. Joy."_

Agetha smiled at the huge white wolf standing beside Holo. She can tell they would indeed be alright. However, she had to make one thing clear to them.

"In alchemy, for every action there is an equal reaction. For something that is given, something of equal measure must be forfeited."

They nodded at her words in understanding.

"Though I' am not able to tell what it was that has been taken, I'm sure you two can pick up the slack for me and figure it out for yourselves. Well, may our paths cross again, my friends."

The two nodded, not needing to say anything as the bid their new friend farewell. Agetha got her wagon moving, waving back at them as the distance between them stretched out farther. Seeing as how he could not wave her off as Holo was doing Lawrence let out a low howl as his way of parting. It made the horse jolt but otherwise, his farewell got through to her. Soon, her entire wagon disappeared among the rolling hills.

"_Doesn't feel so hard, I may have this whole wolf thing figured out yet."_

"'Tis true. You're smart enough but you will have to be educated in the ways of being a wolf."

_"Huh?"_

Lawrence watches as Holo walks around him, sizing him up with her eyes. It becomes quite clear what it was she was expecting, and Lawrence begrudgingly gets up, allowing her to walk around his legs and feet, feeling her eyes scan over his body.

_"Really, Holo, is this necessary?"_

Holo ignored his words and continued to look over his frame. He was huge. She dared to think that he may have been a foot or so bigger than herself (had she been in her wolf form). His coat was fine, with a silver glint in the hairs. His paws and claws looked quite strong and slightly different from her own. She could see that instead of six dew claws, Lawrence had a total of ten, and his tail was puffy as hers was. She went out from under him and gestured with her index finger for him to come close to where she stood. He did so, lying down on the ground and bringing his head down. Holo felt his muzzle, peeling back his upper lip and examining his teeth. They were as white and as sharp as her own. She nods her approval and moves to his head. She stares into his eyes, as if trying to bore right through them.

_"Alright, that's quite enough already."_

Lawrence says and snorts loudly, causing Holo to fall away from his face. Holo steps back as if she were trying to take in a portrait and nods to herself.

"Mm-hmm. Very nice. The alchemist has made vast improvements on you; I daresay very good ones at that."

The look in her eyes made Lawrence, despite his towering frame, swallow nervously. He wondered if that was the same way she eyed a bushel of apples right before consuming them mercilessly. There as definitely something in the works somewhere in that thick skull of hers.

"Not bad, merchant. Not bad at all."

_"I suppose I should be grateful that you approve then?"_

Holo lets out a soft chuckle.

"You are learning. Well then, what should be our next move? Surely, you cannot be going out like that where humans can see you, 'twould create a problem for us, and I for one am in no mood to deal with anymore foolishness."

Lawrence sighed heavily and sat himself down.

_"I agree. I cannot go about like this, I'm too big. I can smell pine somewhere far in the direction ahead. If we are close, I would like to move as quickly and as carefully as we can. However, moving with urgency is out of the question now. So, I suggest we make camp here again."_

Holo nodded, a little too quickly from what Lawrence saw. She did not fuss or argue, so what was it now?

_"Er, by the way Holo."_

"Hmm? What now?"

_"So tell me, how do I go about going back to my previous form? As in, my human self?"_

Holo looked as though she was asked to sprout wings and fly. She stared at him incredulously then scoffed.

"I know not."

Lawrence's wolf ears pricked up as they caught something. It sounded like a dull heart throb or the sound of one's pulse. It seemed to quicken slightly before becoming regular again. Had Holo...lied to him just now?

_"I see. Very well. Camp it is."_

Out of habit Lawrence went to the wagon to let his horse loose for a while but was soon reminded of his form after his horse neighed in a panicked manner, the whites of its eyes showing as he moved his head frantically about.

_"Oh, right. Sorry, old friend."_

"Leave the small matters to me. Why don't you be a male and catch us something for our breakfast?"

Now that Holo had mentioned it, Lawrence was beginning to feel hungry. He felt his empty stomach begin to come alive as it growled in his gullet.

_"Er, very well. This should prove to be something entirely new."_

Lawrence rose onto his feet and scanned the area. Not too far from the east he could smell the fresh vegetation of woods. It was far off of their main objective since Yoitsu was due north, but if they were to reach Yoitsu they had to be alive long enough to do so.

Once again, the evening appeared quicker than the morning. The day's events rolled away with the sun, and the moon took its place high in the night sky. The fire of their camp had diminished to dying embers, brought back to life briefly by the winds only to dim again. The horse grazed lazily on grass, a thing he had been doing since they sat down for their meal.

Holo lay beside Lawrence, tucked snuggly into the fur against his neck. Lawrence had dozed off but a few moments ago, but Holo lay awake in the darkness, hearing his breathing against her ear. She had felt restless the entire day, with the memory of his little hunting experience not making it any easier for her to find sleep.

Lawrence had gone into the neighboring forest intent on finding their dinner. He had left Holo in charge of setting the fire up for cooking the spoils of his hunt. As he neared the forest, Lawrence had recalled hunting only a few times in his life. Since he only had himself to worry about back then, he would hunt only small game like rabbits or small boars. Now, he realized, this moment would put all his know-how to the ultimate test. However...it did not go well.

He had gone into the forest and in no time, he spotted a small creature scatter away into a near-by bush. He grinned to himself and went into a hunters' stance, crouching low with his ears forward. He neared the brush where the animal had run into. Once he felt he was at a good enough distance, Lawrence dove in and went for the creature, a series of snarls and growls coming from his mouth as he fought with it.

From where Holo was, she thought he was wrestling a small bear or a huge deer. She then began to think of how they would prepare the animals' meat for their meal. Drying it out into jerky would no doubt take time, but they could also make it into a stew or just roast chunks of the meat over the fire. Or, she mused with a toothy smile, they could devour it raw. It was a shame they had no wine or bread to eat the meat with. Meat only tasted good with a full cup of fine wine and warm bread to eat it with. Just as Holo was getting into a day-dream daze fantasizing over the possible meal, she heard a terrible whining cry ring out. She guessed that Lawrence must've brought the creature down from giving chase.

She saw as Lawrence ran out from the forest, bounding up to where their camp was with nothing in his jaws. And yet, she sensed that something had happened. As he came closer an awful smell began to waft to her direction. It did not take long for her to recognize the smell. Holo acted immediately, running behind the cart and yelling for Lawrence to stay at a distance. Fortunately for the both of them, the creature, which Lawrence found out was a skunk, did not spray Lawrence entirely. A long while later, Holo was able to get close enough to him without pinching her nose.

It was a rough start but Lawrence eventually got the hang of it, taking down an adult male elk on his second try. That had been the first time he had ever killed anything with his teeth, the sound of the elk's bones crunching in his mouth and grinding against his teeth. Had he not understood an animals need to hunt and kill live prey, he would have preferred dying of starvation. They had settled on roasting the meat over the fire. Whatever they could not cook properly Lawrence swallowed whole. With stomachs full and energy renewed, the evening went on.

It was a good day overall, as opposed to the disaster Holo had originally thought would occur. Lawrence, being the usual good sport of their relationship, followed her directions wordlessly and took to heart what she had to offer him as far as the ways of the wolf went. He was a dangerously apt student, grasping lessons quick and (almost) without fail, ones that took Holo time to fully understand herself.

And just as quickly as the day had come, quicker still was the night. Holo had felt restless the entire day. At first she did not understand why she was behaving so much like an impatient youth since Lawrence's change from man to wolf. It wasn't until she lay in his fur a second time that Holo understood why she was feeling the way she was, and it frightened her a little. In her younger days when that matter had risen among her and her friends, Holo dismissed them, saying that thinking that way was disgusting and distracting. It was something to worry about in the far off future. But now here she lay, among the silver white fur of the man (male) she was indebted to. She knew his scent, the taste of his blood, and dangerous still, she knew where this male held her in. And that was his heart. She could hear her own words coming at her from the not so distant past.

_'If I fell in love with you...it would be a problem for me.'_

It was what she felt at that time. Lawrence, the fool, had his chance to become a shop keeper and fulfill his dreams. And what did he do? He went and bought her back, forfeiting his dream to just go and get Holo back. It made a bitter feeling rise into her chest. Bitter...and warm. Even after all that, he had chosen her for the second time.

And now, he was the same as her. He was a wolf. A male wolf, whose form was as big as her own, if not bigger. She began to let her mind wander as she buried her face in his fur. How must he look now that he has changed? Hopefully her merchant has not changed too drastically, in either way. Holo feels her eyes become heavy; indicating that now would be a good time to let herself sleep. She wrapped her long tail around her waist and let herself sink against Lawrence, letting out a soft sigh on a smile.

Lawrence stirred awake as the sun's light began to break over the horizon. Smacking lightly, he tries to move but feels the weight of his companion against his shoulder. Irritated, he brings up his hand and pushes her a little so that she was now lying against his side rather than his shoulder. A light morning breeze blows by, making Lawrence shiver slightly as it swept over his skin. He shakes his head and sniffs out once. HIs eyes snap open then, sniffing again, He looks down at the ground and sees that he is no longer covered in fur, nor was he large or a wolf for that matter.

Sometime during the night time Lawrence had shifted back into his human form. He also discovers he is also as naked as the day he was born. In a start, Lawrence makes a dash for the wagon bed, making a sleeping Holo fall onto the ground so suddenly that she let out a loud curse before she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She could make out Lawrence, grabbing the tarp in the wagon and draping it around his naked body. Seeing this made her senses wake up and a playful grin to spread over her face.

'Oh, this was going to be fun', her now fully alert eyes seemed to say as she stayed where she was. Lawrence let out a groan and shook his head, with his hand at his temple as if to say 'what else could happen?'

**-End**

**A/N: **Alright, people! End of chapter 6! Wow, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say I'm on a hot streak! This is actually a personal best for me. I hate to admit it but this chapter came out shorter than I expected, and don't worry, waffle-dude, trying to ease into Lawrence's new look. More descriptions to come, promise. (It seemed longer in my head though...w") Oh, well. I will continue on! Gonna keep goin' strong! WOOF!


	7. Worry

**Fan Fiction: **Spice and wolf

**Title: **Eternity and wolf

**Chapter#7-** Worry

"Achoo!" Lawrence let out a sneeze as he held onto the reins of his horse. Once again, they were moving down the dirt road, pressing on and nearing their destination. The tarp rested around his waist, covering him from the hips down, save for his long white tail, which stayed beneath the tarp to give him more warmth now that he had no clothes to wear. Lucky for him that he was able to keep his coin purse intact.

Holo sat beside him, brushing her tail with the tortoise shell comb though she seemed distracted at the moment. She chanced a glance in Lawrence's direction and moved her eyes over him from head to toe. His hair was the same color as before, however it grew out to stop at his shoulders. Atop his head were wolf ears much similar to hers. His beard seemed slightly longer and grew around the corners of his mouth. It wasn't terribly bushy either. Her eyes went lower to examine his chest. The hair on his chest, like his beard, grew slightly longer, the white color being more prominent there then his facial hair. But what had made her eyes linger there was the diamond shaped mark that seemed to have been burned into his flesh. It was almost hidden beneath the hair but she was able to see it.

"It shouldn't be farther now. At this rate, we can reach Yoitsu by this time the day after next. Or so I think. I can smell pine and snow on the wind."

"Yes, it sounds just like my home. I can smell it as well. It overpowers the smell of the bath oils I caught a whiff of a while ago. I do believe we are close. In fact, if we assume our wolf forms now, we can be there in half the time you had estimated."

"Well, yes that's true. However, I do not want to leave my horse and wares behind so I'd like to at least leave them at a village so that I may return to them later on."

"Is it really necessary to keep these things any longer, Lawrence?"

He felt the pitch of her voice waver ever so slightly as Holo spoke. Lawrence looked to Holo only to see that her eyes were on her tail. Her words sunk into his head just then and he found the words to answer her.

"I'm still a merchant, Holo. I just can't leave the cart to anyone. Once I place my things properly, then we may sprint all the way to Yoitsu."

"Really?"

"Of course. However..."

"However?"

Her voice became irritated but it was charming none the less.

"I have one condition."

"I thought as much. You may as well go on and say it then."

At this Lawrence became serious, taking hold of Holo by her chin and staring her straight in the eyes. It was so sudden a movement that Holo dropped her comb onto her lap.

"I want to see you change."

"W-What?"

His hold, though not rough, softened on her chin and his expression relaxed. Still, his deep blue eyes held hers.

"I wish...to see you take your true form. I want to see it for myself. You must accept this condition."

Holo was stunned at this. If it were just his demand that made her this way, she would have thrown it back in his face and chide him for his behavior. However, his delivery was bold and left no room for her to argue. She looked as though she wanted to be angry with him, but she just let out a long suffering sigh and nodded.

""Very well. I accept your condition."

Lawrence smiled at Holo, showing his newly sharp canine teeth. The tarp fluffed up as his tail wagged beneath it, showing Holo that he was happy. Was this how she appeared to him when she displayed her emotions? It made her smile to think that.

"Or better still..."

"Hmm?"

"Why don't I raise the stakes a little?"

"What are you talking about, Holo?"

"Once we find a place to secure your things, why don't we both show off to each other? In truth, I was unable to see your change due to all the lightening, so it wouldn't be fair if only you were to see me transform and I wouldn't get to see you."

"Oh. I hadn't known that. Mm, very well. I accept."

He stretched out his hand so that they could shake on it, to which Holo gladly took. Lawrence returned his attention to the road ahead.

By midday the next day, they had finally come upon a small town called Ultyse*, a fairly sized town that rested at the foot of Mt. Roef. Holo was now sure that Yoitsu was well within their reach. It was something she was anticipating, and at the same time dreading. Even after his transformation, Lawrence was still a merchant. What would happen once they reached her home?

Holo let her mind wander as she walked the street in search of a tailor. Lawrence had given her ten silver pieces to buy him a change of clothes and other supplies for their trip. She knew that to the left side of the mountain face was the Dolan plains. Perhaps she could make them detour that way somehow. After all, she wasn't called the wise wolf of Yoitsu for nothing! Nothing was out of her reach once she set her sights on something. However, since their meeting Lawrence has gotten quite clever himself. He would be sure to catch onto her little scheme.

Her mind was going at such a fast rate; it was hard to settle on one solution. She felt her head would burst if she thought too hard. Holo decided to leave the matter for later; otherwise she might end up doing something foolish. That and her head began to hurt slightly. After she purchased the clothes for Lawrence, Holo went to the market to buy some food for the travel. By dusk, Holo had finished her tasks for the day and returned to the inn where they were staying. To her surprise Lawrence had already secured their dinner and had even gotten a second pitcher of wine for them to drink.

"Ah! You're just in time, Holo! I was able to ask the cook to give us some dinner and whatever else was left over. We lucked out; it's venison stew and some cutlets. They even gave us to extra loaves of bread. From what the cook and the inn keeper told me, tonight was a slow night and they had made far too much food."

Lawrence looked at Holo, who was captivated by the smell of warm food fresh from the stove top. He saw that her eyes were glazed over and her mouth hung slightly open.

"Um, you're drooling, Holo."

"Ahh, how long has it been since we last enjoyed a hot meal? I do believe my stomach is weeping with joy knowing it is about to become full!"

"And what about the other night?"

Holo ignored him as she took a bowl full of stew and two pieces of bread, sat herself at the small table against the wall and ate under candle light. Lawrence gave up trying to get another word out of her and took his own seat across from her with bowl in hand. They ate noisily but never spoke a word, save for the quiet table etiquette from whoever belched. Their tails swished about happily as their stomachs became full, whereas their bowls and mugs were now bone dry.

Lawrence went away from the table and went to lie down on the bed, letting out a content grunt as he let himself fall onto the cushioned material. He stretched and rolled onto his back, wrapping his white tail around his waist to cover himself.

"I see you left the tarp, but now you would use your tail as a cloth instead?"

"Just until I get dressed anyway. Heh, it appears that I have taken on your gluttonous ways and over indulged myself."

"You don't seem to be complaining much."

He had to laugh at that, for it was true. Lawrence felt quite happy. Not just from having a full belly for the first time in days (save for the elk), but from something he could not describe. Lawrence now lay on his back with his hands stacked beneath his head.

"So I secured my horse and wares with the inn keeper, who has a stable in the back. From here I'm sure we can manage on our own to Yoitsu. We can head out at first light if you like."

He heard a rustle beside him and turned his head to see Holo curl up beside him, her long tail coming up between them. The gesture seemed to speak for her as Holo became still. It still amazed him to see how quickly she could fall asleep, but then again she did drink a lot of alcohol. He chuckles lightly and turns to blow out the candle out.

Just as he begins to drift off into sleep, an elbow jabs his side sharply. Lawrence lets out a grunt and turns over to Holo.

"H-Hey! What's the big idea, Ho-"

He is unable to finish as Holo brings her arms around his chest and presses herself against his chest, not looking at him. He is stunned for a moment until he brings his arms around her shoulders so that he was embracing her.

"Have you...Have you decided?"

"Decided?"

"On what you would do after we reach Yoitsu? You had told Agetha as much, saying that once we reach Yoitsu, you would decide what to do with everything you have. So have you?"

"Has this been what has been plaguing your mind all this time, Holo?"

She says nothing, only presses herself more against him. Lawrence lets out a sigh and rests his chin atop her head, patting her head and stroking her ears in a comforting way.

"I may not have an answer now, but I already told you once, didn't I? I told you that I would stay with you until we reach Yoitsu. And I will, Holo."

Lawrence tilted his head down to look into Holo's eyes. She was not on the verge of tears as he had thought she would have been at this point, but the worry was definitely there in her eyes. What she wanted right now was reassurance. Holo had said that she hates being alone. She even had bad dreams of being alone, dreams that were so vivid to her that she would wake up with tears in her eyes.

Holo looked up into his eyes and she felt at ease, becoming spellbound by them. He had become quite dangerous indeed. However, it is probably that new element that has made his spell over her even stronger.

**-End**

**A/N: **Heh, another chapter up! Ugh, feelin' under the weather lately. But the feedback is just so positive that I find myself unable to stop typing. So now they are close to the finish line! Yoitsu is but a hop, skip and a jump away but what will happen at that point? What will Lawrence decide on? And what will Holo do should they part ways? Perhaps something more will happen in the next chapter but I dunno...*nudge, nudge* *wink, wink*

*Ultyse (Uhl-teese)


	8. A debt repaid

**Fan Fiction:** Spice and wolf

**Title: **Eternity and wolf

**Chapter#8-** A debt repaid

Lawrence stood with his feet rooted to the ground. Beside him was Holo, who smiled proudly at seeing his expression. He looked on in awe at the majesty of her home land. They have finally reached the place of her birth, Yoitsu.

The forest of Yoitsu seemed to stretch out as far as the wall of the mountain, with a vast field of purely driven snow blanketing the land between the row of pine and oak. Lawrence tilted his head back and inhaled deeply, taking in the cold and earthy aromas through his nose and exhaling through his mouth, making his breath come out in a long white cloud that thinned and vanished. He was at a loss for words as his feet crunched through the ice. Holo moved past him and ran through the snow, jumping into a small mound and rolling around in it. She was laughing so much like a child returning home from a long trip, and her face was beaming.

"Ahhhh! It is soooo good to be home at last! I can still smell all the things that were here when I had left."

Holo got up and ran to a neighboring pine. She saw that it had been torn in two, resting her hand on the splinters. Lawrence came to stand beside her, seeing her ears droop and her tail sink to the ground. Looking around Holo could see that much of the land had been tarnished and was still trying to heal itself. It must have been at least a century ago or so, that her home was torn asunder by the moon hunting bear. Where trees had fallen, more sproutlings rose up in their place, having grown quite tall but were still so very young.

She walked through the snow, with Lawrence by her side, until she came to the very center of the snow covered land. This had been the very same spot she had seen in her dreams, and the very same spot she had stood before she left. Lawrence watched her closely as she examined what was left of her home. Her eyes and face, which were so happy but a moment ago, had become hurt and saddened. Her tail swished once and went limp.

"I knew...that no one would be here to greet me. I knew that much, Lawrence. However..."

She clenched the front of her cloak with tightly closed fist, her knuckles becoming white and her fists trembling. Lawrence brought up his hand to help steady her trembling one.

"However, simply knowing does not make the pain any less."

He had become adept at predicting what she would say and became familiar with her way of thinking over the course of their journey. So much so that he would know just what was running through her head, knowing enough to even finish her sentences. Holo looked up at him with hot tears rolling down her face, not even trying to hide anything. Choking back a sob Holo went into Lawrence's arms and clung onto him as she cried into his chest. Lawrence openly and readily accepted her into his embrace, holding her to him as she bawled into his cloak.

During his apprentice days, Lawrence had seen many merchants react similarly to this whenever they found out that their homes were no longer where they had left it. Even if he were still wet behind the ears in regards to being able to read Holo's moods, her expression right now is what he had seen many times before.

He heard her sobs grow into shrieks of rage as she cried more, her hands balling the fabric of his cloak. He had expected this much, and stroked her head to try and calm her. She was crying for it all. For the loneliness she had to endure for so long, for being unable to fight for her home, for all that they had to endure, for everything lost, for everything. Her tail had bristled and was swishing angrily from side to side. He could just imagine how Holo would be if she were to take her wolf form and in this state. No creature alive would have a chance; not even the moon hunting bear could hold a claw to her in this regard. Lawrence cleared his throat and parted them slightly so that he could look down into Holo's eyes, which were red and puffed up from her tears. He wiped a stray tear from her eye lash and smoothed his hand over her cheek. She did not resist or try to put on a brave face as she would usually do. No. Lawrence could see that Holo was in pain, and so he unrequitedly comforted her as he had done for her in the past, the scene reminding him of their escape underground.

Looking into his eyes was starting to grow on her, and at a faster rate than before. Holo saw that his ears were drooping as hers must've done every time she felt emotions that made her either angered or melancholic. She smiled through her pain and slumped against him.

"I must look horrendous."

To this Lawrence laughed. Holo was still Holo, after all.

"Quite the contrary."

He saw that her tail, which was lifeless a moment ago, come alive at his words and swinging slightly to and fro. Lawrence smiled himself and brought his hand up to pat her on the head, while his fingers lightly massaged her ears. Holo wipes her entire face on his cloak and shakes her head as a wolf would do. She then let's out a relieved sigh but remains with her face to his chest.

"I had carried all that for a time. Being here and with you has made it easier for me to let go of it all. It's as though I can breathe easier now, like a great weight has been lifted from my chest."

If it hadn't been for his new wolf ears, Lawrence would've just heard a muffled speech. He then patted her on the shoulder.

"Come now. I'll not let you get away with it completely, you know."

He knew that all Holo had said was not a lie, however it served to try and distract him from what was to come. Holo let out a small chuckle and took a few steps back, letting her arms stretch out as long as his until their fingertips slid away from each other as she stepped further away from him.

"And here I thought my vulnerable state had charmed you into absolute surrender. Ahh, it's just as well."

Holo stood a good distance apart from Lawrence and began to disrobe, not wanting to tarnish her garments as Lawrence had done to his own. Piece by piece, Holo threw her articles of clothing to Lawrence, who folded them carefully and hung onto them. Holo stood there for a while, watching as Lawrence stared at her, waiting. The cold winds blew by and carried her long hair, making the long auburn strands sweep beautifully against the white and blue colors of the snow covered forest. He was mesmerized and the glint in her now glowing red eyes knew it.

"Truly captivating. I've never seen anyone as beautiful as you, Holo."

Lawrence saw Holo's tail go erect and her ears twitch. Now it was his turn to give her a smile, or better yet a grin. It was an honest statement and one that shattered her victorious demeanor. She composed herself and took in a bit of wheat before throwing the pouch at Lawrence.

"Smart-alec."

She muttered. Holo then concentrated and let her wolf form take over, going from small to enormous in the blink of an eye. Lawrence saw as her human form disappeared entirely as fang and fur sprouted forth. It was like an invisible force struck the ground quickly in a small area while a small herd of horses ran through, such was the force of Holo's transformation. Her massive paws settled onto the ground calmly as she stood before Lawrence. Lawrence takes a step forward and sees Holo snap her large eyes open. Not once did he flinch.

Holo then tilted her head to the side expectantly, indicating that Lawrence was supposed to say something now.

_"Well?"_

Lawrence looks up at her, his arms falling down and letting go of the bundle of clothes. His face appeared unreadable to Holo as he approached. When he was within a good distance, Lawrence motioned for her to bring her head lower. Not thinking much of it Holo did so. What came next had caught her well off guard.

Once she came within reaching distance, Lawrence stretched his arms up and ran his hands along her snout. It was sweet at first but then his hands closed around her fur and Lawrence pulled on it, making Holo let out a surprised yip.

"You great dunce!"

_"W-What?"_

"You...were actually afraid to show me this? What do you honestly think I would have done if I had seen the whole of your transformation, just up and leave you? Or abandon you like some stray dog? I admit that I was quite surprised at first, afraid even! I can forgive the first time but the rest? You should have had a little more faith in me to trust me with seeing you like this!"

He was angry with her. It was different this time then the past times he had become angry with her. It seemed that now it was a reversal in roles. Realizing this, Holo lowered her head more, looking quite sorry. Lawrence let out a huff and loosened his hold on her fur, running his hands through it trying to smooth it back down and, if he had pulled a bit too hard on it, to soothe it.

"I didn't know you well enough then. And now that I do, I wish to know all of you, wolf and all. Don't hide things from me, Holo."

His voice was gentle now and low. It was as though he got all of his fury out on that one pull of her fur, his original soft hearted nature sprouting forth immediately soon after. Holo was not irked by this, but understood where it had come from. She then let out a breath through her nostrils and nudge him with her nose.

_"Well now, I held up my part. Now it is your turn to share. I expect a good show now, Merchant."_

Lawrence stepped back and disrobed, faltering a little as the cold atmosphere nipped at his human body and making him shiver hard. His white tail bristled at the contact but soon he became accustomed to it. He set his bundled clothes beside Holo's and stood before her, bare. It was not the first time she had seen him this way but this time around, something seemed sinfully delicious about it. Lawrence took a bit of wheat and tossed the pouch back onto the heap of folded clothes.

"So what am I to expect to feel during the change? Any advice?"

Holo gave his question some thought.

_"I guess my advice to you would be to let it happen. It cannot be forced like a movement, so just go with it."_

Lawrence nodded then ate the wheat in his hand. After eating it he waited. A strange feeling rose up from his back and spread both up and down, going up his shoulders into his chest and down the back of his thighs and to his toes. He twitched a little and felt a pressure run through his body, making him spread his fingers, toes and stretch his head and neck upwards as if to shout to the heavens. It was quick and before he knew it, Lawrence was standing in front of the wise wolf of Yoitsu as a wolf himself!

They looked at each other at eye level. Great big red eyes as searing as an inferno staring into eyes as deep a blue hue as the blue that encircled them. His fur was a silver white and hers being a red-brown. Morning and night. Sun and moon. Fire and ice. His eyes were set in a stoic emotion like that of an average wolf, whereas Holo's remained in a frown. As the time between them passed, she appeared less serious and took on the same look as Lawrence.

_"Well?"_

His voice seemed to have come out of nowhere. Holo then realized she was gawking at him, and in the same way he had gawked at Agetha when she had become human again. Holo shook her head and walked around him.

_"Hmmm..."_

She pressed her snout into his side and ran her nose over his fur to see what state it was. Soft like her own and strong as well. Holo moved around him like a predator sizing up its prey before going in for the kill, her paws crunching into the snow underneath them while her tail moved patiently to and fro. Now Holo was in front of him again, her serious scowl back.

_"Bigger."_

_"H-Huh?"_

_"You're about a foot or so bigger than myself!"_

As she spoke, Holo came at Lawrence, jumping up and putting her paws around his neck as if they were about to wrestle.

_"H-Holo!"_

_"Don't let that go to your head, you male! I can still best you in more ways than one."_

He felt her teeth come down onto his ear and she let out a slight snarl. It didn't hurt Lawrence but he was starting to feel annoyed by it.

_"Holo, I know you can best me but really, you're being childish!"_

Lawrence growled and threw his paws over Holo's shoulders, trying to get her off of him. Holo moved with him and, once she found a good footing, shoved him from the side, forcing him onto his back and into the snow. Lawrence struggled beneath Holo, who had let go of his ear only to clamp her jaws over his snout. He bared his teeth and fought back, pitching forward and swinging his left hind leg around so that he brought Holo onto the ground with him. Just then, his nose catches something on the freezing winds. It was a musky sort of earthy smell that wafted lightly in his nose and stuck to the back of his head like savoring the flavor of a meaty dish. It spiked amidst their struggling, becoming more detectable and more pronounced.

Lawrence jumped up and pushed Holo more into the snow with his shouder, their tails were waving and flailing about wildly. Holo snarled at Lawrence and bared her teeth. She nipped at his snout and tried to bat him off with her forepaws. Lawrence was bigger now, and was heavier as well. Her paws hit into his neck but he seemed unfazed by them.

He lunged his snout down and bit lightly into Holo's fur. Holo struck his chin and pitched her head upward, sinking her teeth into the tuft of fur covering his chest. The snow was flying all around them as their fight turned into play, their feet crunching frantically into the snow. Once Holo found an opportunity, she got to her feet and bolted past Lawrence, giving chase. Lawrence pursued her, panting loudly with his tongue hanging out. Holo headed for the pine covered forest. Lawrence entered a moment later, only to find her gone from his sights. He sniffed the air and trekked lightly among the snow covered forest floor.

He found her scent as he passed some snow covered brush but it was a moment too slow, as Holo rammed into him from the side and falling with him. They tumbled over one another in the snow, both refusing to give in. They untangled and detached from one another, pausing briefly before Holo barked at Lawrence and dove at him a second time. Lawrence stepped back and brought his arms up, making Holo miss and slip on some snow. She didn't fall but her little slip gave Lawrence the perfect opportunity. Lawrence pushed Holo onto the ground, using his shoulders and paws to pin her down against a nearby tree while his fangs bit into her scruff. Lawrence was still growling and ready to continue, whereas Holo lay still, whining softly.

Lawrence waited for Holo to make a move, his teeth still holding onto the scruff of her fur. Her growling had long since stopped. He pushed against her once, as if saying "C'mon! What're you waiting for?" and still, she remained unmoving. After a time, Lawrence released her fur and looked at her. He was surprised to see that he had been standing on top of her body this whole time, with his tail standing out in the air and Holo's tail laying to the side. Holo did not appear angry or hurt, rather she looked like she was...waiting. He felt her tail swish against his leg, lifting up the air around them. He looked down into her red eyes in suspicion.

_"What is that? I smelled it earlier but do not recognized it."_

Holo reached her snout upward and stuck her tongue out to lick his nose, once and then twice more. His ears pricked up in excitement and Lawrence was momentarily paralyzed, dumbstruck.

_"You understand now, you great idiot?"_

Right after she says this, Holo disappears yet again and shrinks down to her human form. She stood under his massive weight, with Lawrence still standing frozen onto his feet while blinking blankly. It doesn't take long for Lawrence to regain control of his limbs and wills himself back into his human form. He stands in front of Holo, still breathing hard from their little game. Holo looks away from his gaze, with a red blush on her face. He doubted it was from their little scuffle.

"You...do understand now, right? I do not have to...explain any further, do I?"

She hesitantly steps closer to Lawrence, slowly closing the distance between them. Lawrence meets her half way, opening his arms out to her and pressing her against his chest. It reminded her of her dreams, where she would call to him and run to greet him; only this was real. He smiled gently, bending so that he was at her eye level and touching his forehead to hers. First her forehead, then he touched the bridge of her nose with his own. Then he rubbed one side of her cheek with his, and like so with the other. Lawrence understood that wolves and humans show affection very differently, but though their ways were different the messages were the same. And now that he was now a wolf himself, he understood how to display them to Holo in her fashion.

They embraced one another and sank onto the snowy ground, not minding the biting cold on their skin. Lawrence made the first move and bent his head to kiss Holo, slanting his lips over hers and sliding his tongue over her teeth. Unlike the one he had given her back at the church in Renos, this one was more bold and wet. Holo mimicked his openmouthed movements and kissed him back, using her tongue more expertly then he. She had seen humans do this sort of messy kissing many times during her time in the past. They had thought that retreating to the "safety" of the wheat fields granted them privacy but the young lovers that had done this had not been aware that Holo was watching them. And most times, they did more than kissing.

His tail swished slowly as they continued to kiss. Lawrence brought his hand up and sank his fingers into her hair, threading them through the long warm strands. It sent an electrifying sensation coursing through Holo's body, one that she had never experienced in her life. Holo drew him nearer, her hands at his back bringing him closer to her. He felt her breasts press against his chest. The hair on his chest was warm and inviting against her fair skin. Holo releases his mouth to take in a quick breath, Lawrence doing so as well, and reinitiates the kiss tongue first. They move their heads side to side, savoring each other. Lawrence had never before been with a woman, but now that he was, he was becoming blank as to what to do next. However he gets a whiff of her musk and soon his body reacts without his mind, a primal urge beginning to rise in his being.

Her scent fills his head and his lungs. Lawrence moves his lips away from hers and presses his nose against her neck, inhaling deeply her own natural scent. It was animal, not entirely human, but it was all female. He inhales once more before he kisses her neck, purposely scratching her skin with his beard. Holo let's out a breath and tilts her head so that her nose was in Lawrence's hair. He smelled more or less the same; however she picked up something that was different. He smelled more like an animal, more earthly and more...desirable.

She feels his teeth running along the skin of her neck and she responds by closing her own lightly over the tip of his right ear. Lawrence grunts and sinks his teeth deeper into the crook of her neck, not hard enough to draw blood but enough to leave marks. Holo lets out a small gasp but does not become angry. Lawrence moves his head now so that his face fell below her collar bone. He takes a breast into his hand and squeezes lightly, making Holo give a small cry. She squirms slightly against him, unknowingly bringing them both down onto the ground and no longer against the tree. And once again, Lawrence has Holo pinned.

He paused to look at her. She lay sprawled out beneath him, her hair fanned out among the snow and her tail moving lazily about. Her skin has become flush in the areas he had kissed her, and her face was flush as well. She was breathing heavily, her chest rising and falling with each breath she took. Her scent was everywhere, making him feel intoxicated with it.

Holo seized this moment and leapt forward, pushing Lawrence backwards and making him fall onto his back against the snow. He tensed at the sudden contact on his back and he shivered audibly.

"And here I was thinking that I was warming you up so well. I guess I'll have to try a bit harder."

Holo had turned the tables and now had Lawrence pinned down beneath her. She straddled his waist, making Lawrence feel the heat that was originating at the base of her tail. She then leaned forward and took his lips in hers again. She felt his tail brush against hers and she smiles. Lawrence brings his hands up to smooth his palms up her thighs and settled them onto her hips, clenching her rear a few times. Their longing went into the kiss, the act itself becoming more aggressive as their pent up frustrations began to surface. Holo moved her head past his collar bone and trailed her tongue over the line between his breast plates. She smiles before biting into his hairy flesh, making him jolt in surprise. Unlike his biting, Holo bit into his skin and made a little blood well up under the reddened flesh. She licks it affectionately and moves on.

Holo bit his lower lip and ran her teeth over his chin, nipping at the very tip of his chin and leaving another mark. She presses her middle more into his waist, her body becoming more and more restless. Sooner or later they would have to cease in their maddening little foreplay, her insisting manner becoming more prominent as the number of bite marks she left on his upper body increased.

Lawrence began to feel the heat rise into his loins as well, as his lower body was starting to slowly come alive. Once more Lawrence pushed Holo back and reversed their positions, pinning her. This time, he would make sure not to let her move them again.

He went forward and took a light bud into his mouth, suckling it gently while kneading the other one slowly in rhythm with his mouth. Holo let out a moan and clutched his head in her hands, her nails raking through his scalp and making him tremble in response. He moved his mouth to the other breast and gave it the same treatment; however his other hand did not knead the other one in turn. Instead, Lawrence trailed his free hand down Holo's body, letting his fingertips brush her skin in a teasing manner and making Holo wriggle beneath him. It isn't until he gets to her naval that Holo becomes alarmed.

"L-Lawrence..."

Her voice comes out low and breathy, as if she ran across a field at full speed. He must've been doing something right as he saw her face even redder than before. Still, he does not heed her call and continues. His mouth becomes more forceful on her breast, closing his teeth gently over the bud and making her cry out. She arches her back and runs her fingers over his head. Lawrence then moves his hand lower still and closes his palm against the hot mound between her legs. Holo moans loudly and bites the nail on her pinky finger, her aroused state drugging her senses.

Lawrence feels himself become hard at hearing her voice say his name and he releases her breast. He brings himself up and nuzzles her neck with his nose. He then moves his fingers so that they are massaging her folds. Holo lets out a cry of alarm. She moves slightly to her left, facing her front away from Lawrence but her eyes remained looking over her shoulder looking straight at Lawrence. He could feel his animalistic urges trying to surface again as Holo pressed her rear against his middle.

"Unh, Holo."

Her name rolls off of his tongue so easily and, from what Holo could hear, so lovingly. His fingers sink into her wet folds and Holo nearly shrieks and jumps slightly. She squirms and moves against him, moaning in rhythm with his hand. Lawrence feels her tail move to the side of her butt, ready to receive him. His hand leaves her front for a moment as he positions himself. Holo looks to Lawrence from over her shoulder, a drugged glaze in her eyes and perspiration dotting her forehead. At this moment, the snow was little more to them then a cool gust of wind.

"Lawrence...be gentle with me."

He looked at Holo, his ears pricking up slightly as he caught the mischievous grin playing at her luscious lips. Now she was being coy.

He kissed her lips and pressed their foreheads together.

"I love you, Holo."

Lawrence says the words as he enters her slowly, making Holo let out a virginal cry and tossing her head over his shoulder while moving restlessly against him. Lawrence runs his tongue over her ear and slowly moves. Holo writhes against him and rakes her nails along his thigh, her body trembling and trying to adjust to him. Lawrence groans at feeling just how tight Holo was. She is tense and moaning loudly. He moves again, slower still but bringing his hand back to her mound in front and caressing it.

Lawrence moves against her, sliding in and pulling out evenly while kissing her neck and nibbling on her ear. Holo sank her nails in the flesh of his thighs and turned her head to kiss him on the lips. Lawrence speeds up his rhythm and sinks deeper into Holo, moving a little faster and harder. Holo releases his lips, a small string of their saliva stretching between their mouths, and whines, almost sounding on the verge of tears. Lawrence feels he is harming her doing it this way, but is unable to hold back on his new animalistic feelings. To try and ease her, Lawrence kisses the nape of her neck and holds her by the hips, adding some support.

Her amorous moans rise into near sobbing whines and then fall into throaty purrs and satisfied hums. They were panting and breathing heavily now; their bodies rocking and moving. Holo feels him inside her, the pain ebbing into pure pleasure and becoming easier to manage. Lawrence picked up the pace and moved faster, his speed making him thrust harder in her. Waves of pleasure coursed through Holo's body as Lawrence pressed himself more into her. Lawrence moved their angle so that he was now mounted directly on top of her and she was on all fours, with Holo facing away from him. He bent over so that his chin came to rest on her shoulder and he slipped his hand into hers, thrusting into her.

Their tails flailed about as they moved passionately. Holo moved her hips and matched Lawrence's movements, the unexpected movement making Lawrence growl sensually against her ear. His beastly urges were stronger now, his hips speeding up until he was nearly pounding into her. Holo moaned his name and she collapsed forward as her arms gave out from beneath her, making her rear stick out while her head rested atop her arms. Lawrence could not reach her but remained bent forwards, their hands still locked and intertwined. He moved now with a ferocity that was entirely primitive, groaning and speaking her name over and over. Bodies moved in unison, voices rang out and cried out their love for one another. Holo felt a ball of pressure form in her womb and felt she was close, her body hot and nearly spent.

His eyes were glazed as he felt the same thing building into his gut. Their bodies burned as they moved, their heat practically melting the snow beneath them. He felt her insides tighten around him and Lawrence moved harder, the flurry of sensations making it hard for him to breathe.

"...!"

Holo screamed out Lawrence's name as the pressure burst within her, making her body quake and her tail to bristle. Lawrence felt it happen, feeling her warmth consume him. He let out a fierce grunt and with one final thrust, emptied his seed into her. Holo let out a silent cry as she felt the white hot pressure burst forth a second time, making her body tremble. Lawrence fell forward, catching himself on his free arm so that he didn't crush Holo. He kissed up her back, the nape of her neck and circled his head to kiss his lovers' lips. Holo responded lazily, her body feeling gloriously spent and a bit shaky, as well as a bit sore.

Lawrence lowered his body so that his back was against the tree and he was lying on his side with Holo now in his arms, their hands holding fast and their arms around each other. For a time, they lay there in the afterglow just staring into each other's eyes and smiling at seeing their faces so flushed and sweaty. Lawrence smiled sheepishly at seeing the whisker burns and the bite marks he left on Holo's neck and cheeks. Holo, in turn, looked at the bite marks she had left on his chest and upper body but she had a sort of proud look in her glazed over eyes. Lawrence took a strand of her hair and rubbed it thoughtfully between his fingers, liking the feel of it.

After more time had passed Holo turned herself so that she was on her back and her head resting on Lawrence's arm as if it were a pillow. He looked down at her and caressed her face with his hand. Holo took his hand and held it against her cheek, rubbing his palm against her face. As they basked, Lawrence broke the silence between them.

"I've decided."

He got her attention immediately, her dim red eyes looking up into his. She was almost too afraid to ask.

"Oh?"

He took in a deep breath and looked her straight in the eyes while his thumb rubbed her lower lip.

"I want to stay with you if you'll have me, Holo."

Lawrence felt her tail bristle against his leg and he smiled.

"You...will stay? With me?"

She felt his arms go around her to hold her against him, emphasizing his attachment to her.

"I realised something as I travelled with you. It's true that I wanted to open up a shop of my very own and become a true citizen of a town. But what I was probably really after...was a place to belong. I wanted something I could say was my own and wanted someone who wanted me, someone I could belong to."

His hand came to her chin and he gave her a sound kiss on her lips. He could feel the tears welling up in her eye lashes and he smiles even more. He lets go and continues, his resolve reflecting strongly in his eyes and making them intense.

"You gave that to me, Holo. I fell in love with you along the way here and now that we are here right now, as we are, I want to make your home my home as well. Because, just like you, I was alone. You have given me so much, Holo, that I want to spend the rest of my days showing my appreciation to you."

Lawrence hugs her tightly as Holo nuzzles her face into his chest, her tears warm against his skin. She laughs in between her tears and rubs her eyes.

"So does that mean...my debt's been repaid then?"

Lawrence looks at Holo before he pitches forward laughing at being reminded of her debt to him. He kisses the top of her head and gives her rear a playful swat.

"Mmm, and the interest is more than I could've hoped for."

They laugh together under the canopy of the snow covered pines. When the joyful sounds die down, the two wolves huddle together and curl their tails around each other.

"I love you, La-"

Lawrence presses his index finger against her lips to stop her words.

"Kraft."

"Huh?"

"I went by Lawrence during my time as a merchant. Now that I' am giving up that life style I want you to call me Kraft."

Holo kissed his chin, letting her teeth scrap against his scratchy beard and buried her face in the crook of his neck with a happy (and pleased) smile on her face. Lawrence rests his head against hers and closes his eyes, smiling contently.

"Kraft then. I love you, my Kraft."

**-End**

**A/N: **Sorry for the delay (getting sick sucks! ~"). So! This is, by far, the longest chapter in my fan fic. I got this nagging feeling that I messed up somewhere so if anyone finds anything that seems off, lemme know plz. This one was a doozy to write! I haven't written a lemon for quite some time now so I may be a little rusty in the intimate scene. (Took me over four hours or so to complete, with interruptions and whatnot. -_-") I'm not too happy with it but if everyone likes it then that would be good enough for me, otherwise I'll tear this chapter down and repost it some other time. Later, guys! ~_^


	9. Letting go

**Fan Fiction:** Spice and wolf

**Title: **Eternity and wolf

**A/N: **Lol! Well, I just keep getting very interesting reviews from very interesting people ( You're a sweet one, renielle14! You as well, waffle dude!) Reviews really do liven up my day, as well as help my progression of this story (thinking of a way to rephrase the sum btw) so thanks a lot, you guys and gals! Heh, it seems as though I have unintentionally left some sort of finality with the last chapter, but re-reading it for myself I have no one to blame for that other than myself. But it's not over just yet! However, I was recently looking up when the light novel would be released and it had the description on them. And...got extremely bummed. Felt low to the ground. Not in my happy place. Here I was thinking I was staying linear to the "true" story, but lo and behold, I see that volume 6 of the light novel is being released and it details the progression of their blooming relationship (if I read correctly, v.5 of the novel is where they become a couple) and I apologize if I've ruined anything for anyone. By my understanding, the 5th volume of the manga (which I have yet to go out and get for myself. Damn...) is barely up to the point where Lawrence slaps Holo's hand in frustration (as opposed to the anime's "brushing away of the hand" approach). Still, I prefer the manga version myself. I still love the light novels and the anime though. I hate to play favorites with anything, and manga is no different. Anyway, I feel I've blabbered enough, so please read on and enjoy! -HELLO! ... I've got nothing important to say about this fanfic nor is it related to it in any way. I just wanted to add stuff here to take up space while my dear sis is clipping her nails on the bed... Review if you love the fic or just love the characters. Blah blah blah blah... Raise your hand if you love ulquiorra or grimmjow! :D -Grimm-Inuoka004

**Chapter#9-** Letting go

"Welcome back, Mister Lawrence! I and the misses were starting to worry about you two."

The hearty inn keeper had greeted them widely upon their return, previously chatting with his wife at the counter before they had come in. Lawrence waved politely to them as he and Holo stepped up to their desk. Lawrence handed the stout man a small pouch, a jingling sound coming from it as he handed it over.

"Mm?"

"Interest. For watching my horse and my wares while we were away."

Beneath the protection of their cloaks, they held each other's hands, giving a reassuring squeeze when he said while they were away.

"By the way, I wanted to let you know that we'll be leaving your lodgings by nightfall. As my way of thanks, I wish to entrust my horse to you."

"W-What? Your horse, you say? Young man, I'm grateful but that would be too much to take from you."

The old man sees Lawrence shake his head evenly.

"If I may, would you follow me out to your stables?"

The inn keeper nods and walks around the desk to exit the building, looking to his wife before leaving. Going around the building of the inn, they came to the stables. Lawrence sees his horse in a separate pen away from the owners', a knowing and wry smile coming across Lawrence's face as he notices the mare in the other holding pen. He let's go of Holo's hand and walks up to the horse, placing his hand on its snout.

"This horse has been with me since I started out as a merchant years ago. He has weathered the elements alongside me, as well as having to suffer whatever came our way. He is a sturdy and stubborn one; all that and above all, a very faithful companion."

Lawrence spoke in a nostalgic tone, petting the horses' snout as he spoke. He eyed his horse as one would when parting with a member of his family.

"And like me, he has grown tired of the lonely life on the road and wishes to settle down in a stable. Where he could eat on a regular basis and also, be around others like himself and have friends. He has served me well, so I wish to return the favor and give him a home of his own. You have a very nice stable, very cozy and large in size. So I would be grateful if you would accept him."

His horse neighed lightly and drew near him, as if to thank him. It made the atmosphere warm all around, touching all who were present. The inn keeper chuckled and raised his hands in a humorous gesture of defeat, giving up on trying dissuading the young man any further.

"Fine, fine! You win, lad. Although I feel as if I were stealing from you if I give you nothing in return. At least let me and my wife give you and your companion something for your travel tonight. How does three wine skins and some dried meat sound?"

At the very mention of wine Holo's ears perked up beneath the hood of her cloak. Kraft chuckles lightly and looks to the inn keeper.

"Very well then. It's agreed."

Kraft stretches his hand out and the two men shake hands.

"You are too kind, sir."

"Oh, but your merchant here is an even kinder man, miss! I just so happened to have need of another horse, so its as if fate brought you two here to my inn. I'll go and prepare your things for the evening, as well as give you some time to part with your horse properly."

He smiled understandingly and went out of the stables. Once they were alone Kraft looked to his horse again, bidding him farewell with his eyes while still stroking his long snout. From the corner of his eye, Kraft saw Holo move closer to his side in a way that reminded him of a person walking around a slumbering beast. She groaned silently as she moved her legs carefully to get to Kraft. At this, he chuckled again.

"You're hell bent on making me feel bad, aren't you?"

"It's your fault. And after I pleaded with you to be gentle with me, you end up ravaging me! Me! A docile female such as myself, being brutally ravaged under the merciless onslaught of a male! I didn't have a prayer as you fondled me roughly and-"

"Alright already! If I give you my share of dinner later on, will that be enough to make up for my ravaging you?"

He was quick to close his hand over her mouth to silence her verbal assault, and spoke over her in a rushed tone, his ears having heard the distant footfalls of the inn keeper returning. Holo smiled into his hand and nodded silently, her smile spreading as Kraft let out a breath of relief. His hand fell away from her mouth, but he did not step away from her immediately. Instead, Kraft pushed Holo against the wooden railing of a nearby support beam and pinned her there with his chest. A wry grin crossed his lips then, and made Holo look at him with a surprised expression.

"I admit to having been rougher with you then I had intended to be; However, I never once heard you complain, even long after the deed was done. Still, if I have upset you ..."

He leaned in close to her face and brought his mouth up to speak into her hood.

"...I would gladly make it up to you. In full. Right here."

As he spoke, Kraft brushed his hips suggestively against her middle, making Holo let out a subtle breath. She had to admit that Kraft had a lot of gall to even entertain the thought in broad day light, among the animals in the stable and the nearing inn keeper. She shuddered, her tail sweeping the dirt from beneath her skirts as it became restless. He was becoming even more spontaneous and more passionate...and, damn her own weak state of mind, she was drawn in even more than a moth to a flame! The thought flittered across her mind and for a brief moment, she considered taking him up on his offer; until she snapped back to her senses and pushed a smiling Kraft away from her, cursing under her breath.

"F-Fool!"

In a huff and with a splash of color on her face, Holo limped past him, brushing his hand away as he attempted to help her walk. She looked over her shoulder and grinned at him, her fangs hinting at her lips and making Kraft's' tail wag slightly beneath his cloak.

"We shall continue on this matter at a more proper time, merchant! And do not think you are completely forgiven either."

She spoke out loud on purpose, making it appear as if they had just had a little spat. Holo had especially stressed on the "proper time" thing, in her usual endearing manner that made him want to chase her again. Holo winked at him and went out from the stables, passing the inn keeper as she limped off.

"M-Miss Holo? Are you well? You seem to be walking rather stiffly. Is it your back perhaps?"

The man was clearly clueless as to the real reason why she was moving the way she was, and for that Holo wanted to burst out laughing. She merely smiled with a closed mouth and clenched teeth, and shook her head.

"I will be better with more rest. Our outing yesterday has made my leg muscles incredibly sore and my back to ache terribly. Thank you all the same."

With a mutual nod the inn keeper walked up to Kraft with a parcel all bundled up and ready for travel, whereas Holo disappeared beyond the stable doors. The stout old man hands the parcel over to Kraft wordlessly and smiles at him, patting the cloth material holding their things, as if to say "you're all set!". Kraft smiles sheepishly and nods his silent thank you and the two men shake hands. They both turn to exit the stables, with Kraft taking one last look at his old friend before stepping out. As they get farther away from the stables, Kraft hears a short series of long and loud whinnies erupt from behind them. He was grateful for his new ears and new perspective. If he were still human, Kraft would have missed the message entirely. He blinked back the sting of tears behind his eyeballs and walked a little faster; alarming the innkeeper and making him stumble over his feet as he tried to keep up with him.

'_'Farewell to you, my master! You did right by me and you have my thanks! I'll naught forget our time spent together! You wolves be well now! And good luck!''_

**-End**

**A/N:** Short, I know. But I figured it was better than waiting another week or so for me to submit it. I'll try to make the next one longer. Sorry for the long delay too, I was swamped with work so I couldn't type for a while (gotta work for a living, what can I say?). And in case anyone's' wondering; yes, that last bit on the AN above was the work of my younger sister, who is also a writer on this site. -_-"


	10. Wolves and

**Fan fiction:** Spice and wolf

**Title: **Eternity and wolf

**Chapter#10-** Wolves and...

They left the small village of Ultyse and walked down the man-made path winding down the plains. They walked side by side in silence, smiling and content. Beneath their cloaks their hands remained joined together, with their fingers intertwined. Their tails swished about under the safety of their robes. The moonlight made Holo's skin pale, so much so that if Kraft had not known her he would've been sure she was just a beautiful apparition.

"So, what now then?"

"Hmm?"

"What shall we do now? Really, I see no point in walking all the way home when we can just change and run all the way there."

"Mm-hm."

"And then, there are those wine skins you're carrying in your pack. Remember, you said I could have your share, Kraft! You cannot take it back!"

"Mm-hm."

Holo growled irritated and detached her hand from his so that she could stand directly in front of him, hands on hips and eyes creased in annoyance.

"Is that all you're going to say to your mate? Nothing but a series of affirmative grunts and the like? Speak up now? ...Heh! Or is it..."

Holo twirled away from where she stood and went a little farther up the road as a milk maid would frolic among the tall grass. Once she was at a distance, Holo let her tail slip out from under her robes and she wagged it slowly to and fro as she went on.

"...Or is it that I have bewitched you yet again, Kraft? Has my unparalleled beauty driven you mad with want of me? Or perhaps it is my fiine fur that has caught your eye? My femanine charms? Come now, I can't very well keep guessing now."

To this Kraft smiled wryly. Clearing his throat, he set their belongings down onto the ground and walked up to her, his eyes soft and lit with a blue hue. He came to stand in front of his wise wolf and went on to cup her face in his hands. Holo looks into his eyes and her own eyes begin to glow like lively embers. She feels his fingers move against her skin and she is swayed by them, closing her eyes contentedly and holding his hands there with her own. Kraft bends a little and rubs his cheek against hers, almost forcing her hood down at the same time. Holo acts in kind, reciprocating the loving gesture with her own appriciative nuzzling.

Kraft pulls away then, and pulls Holo into an embrace. She feels his heart beating through his cloak and the air his tail was kicking up as he continued to wag it about. Kraft was happy, amazingly happy. Even if he had contained his body gestures, his smile was proof enough.

"It's all that and more, Holo. My dear Holo."

The intensity in his voice said it all, and Holo felt it. She felt it run through her so deeply, she thought she would weep just from that alone. His voice was low and loving, and his eyes glowed brightly as he spoke to her. Kraft comes close to her again, this time touching his forehead to hers before he runs his tongue over her lips. Their noses touch briefly before they pull away. Her eyes were dim and lidded, making Kraft laugh heartily.

"Mm, I would be more than willing to point out to you what has me so distracted. First..."

Kraft turns to retrieve their belongings and holds out his hand to take hers.

"...Let's go home. Together."

Holo looked as though she were about to say something sharp but the way he had said "home"...struck a cord in her. It was nostalgia that had made her homesick, but it was loneliness that had driven her to act. Kraft, too, once spoke of wanting to belong to a town, settling down and finding a wife. They were both after the same goal: to be rid of their loneliness. And they had accomplished this objective only when their hearts synchronized and the two became as one, in more ways than one.

Holo took his hand and nodded in agreement.

"Yes. Let's go...to our home."

No more "I", "Mine" and "Me" for either of them. It was now "we", "ours" and "us" from that day forward. Her home became his home. And he became hers. They belonged to each other and no one else. They would walk the earth side by side, without fear of loneliness. Together, they faced this thing called "Eternity" and where they once cowered before it, they now smiled smugly as they sauntered over it casually. No one and nothing else mattered, for they now had their own little place in the world, and that was in each other's arms.

Letting the pen in his hand fall from his fingers, the young man raised his arms and stretched out while letting out a yawn. Groaning, he looked to the round clock hanging by the doorway of the now dimly lit department. His eyes went wide to see that the clock read 11:45 pm. Frantically the young man put his paper work away, shoving it into his desk drawers and practically ripping the edges. He groaned again as he finished with the open window on his computer screen, click and save! Sighing, he turned off his computer and attempted to tidy up his desk. His pen rolled away from the desk top and fell onto the carpeted floor. He was able to see it from the corner from his eye and he chased after it. Just as he thought his hand had closed around the thin neck of the pen, his fingers close around something else.

"Huh? Uh, OH! M-Mister Pireon! Uh, e-excuse me, sir!"

The young mans' hand had come down onto Italian leather dress shoes, missing the pen entirely. His young eyes traveled upward to see a tall man wearing a black fedora hat with a white ribbon going around the base, where a very old looking feather was tucked into. The older gentleman, Mister Pireon, stood with his hands in his pockets and sporting black pin stripe slacks with a grey dress shirt and white suspenders. His tie was undone and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. He had his jacket tied around his waist and he looked calm.

"Oh, you must be the new guy. Walter, am I right?"

Mister Pireon said as he stretched out his hand to help Walter up, a gold band on his finger. He took his hand sheepishly and pulled himself up. Getting a closer look at the man, Walter could see that Mister Pireon had scars all over his face! Three long and jagged one's going down his left cheek, three more over his right eye- wait, when did he have an eye patch? And his face seemed...wild. Not insane wild, but for a lycanthrope kind of wild. His chin had a white neatly trimmed beard with some of it raised at the corners of his mouth. His eye was a dark blue that seemed to be piercing if you looked into them too long. And though he looked intense, he didn't look any older than himself. Realizing he was staring too much, Walter turned his head away and sputtered nervously.

"Aren't you part time here? You were supposed to be off at five in the afternoon."

"Y-yeah. Sorry, but I was just getting done with this paper work, and-"

"I see. Who passed all this onto you? Was it Sean? Or Avery? Mm, this looks more like Sasha's hand writing."

"I volunteered, sir. I wanted to make a good impression."

"Trust me, letting yourself get hazed is no way to make a good impression. However, if an impression is what you're aimin' to make..."

Mister Pireon rummages through his pockets and produces what looks like a VIP pass of some sort and holds it up to Walter.

"I hear you make one hell of a presentation, you wowed them over at Harvard with your presentation on vintage wine. You really know your stuff!"

"Thank you. Uh, but what's this for, sir?"

"That is your pass for the wine tasting party at Pineon estate. You seem to have an eye for quality wine, so I want you take part in the tasting of newly imported wines from around the world."

He saw the young mans' eyes beam at hearing the chance to attend such an event. It was as if he had just won the lottery. Walter smiled widely and began shaking Mister Pireons' hand vigorously. The vice grip he had on his hand made Mister Pireon wince slightly.

"Thank you, Mister Pireon! Oh, thank you very much for this grand opportunity! This is just great!"

"Y-Yes! You're welcome, Walter! J-ust...don't snap my hand in half!"

"Oh!"

Walter releases the mans' hand and chuckles nervously.

"Sorry."

"It's fine. Now go on already. I don't want to see your face here in the morning. Have a good night."

"Good night, Mister Pireon!"

Mister Pireon saunters to the office door and disappears through it, the clacking of his shoes echoing throughout the hall. As he nears the elevator, a small electronic chime rings out from his breast pocket. He pulls out his cell phone and sees that he has gotten a text message. He rolls his eye and breathes out a laugh.

_"Are you done yet?" _It read.

With nimble fingers, he types in his reply.

_"Getting on the elevator."_

Chime!

_"Well, hurry up! I'm getting tired of waiting for you!"_

_"Missing me already?"_

Chime!

_"You promised yourself to me this evening, and I'll not let you forget it."_

_"But you have me every night."_

Chime!

_"This night is special!"_

He gets to the first floor and exits the elevator. Mister Pireon leaves the main lobby and walks into the waiting limo. He motions for the driver to drive and continues with his texting.

_"But isn't every night special?"_

Chime!

_"Every waking moment is special. But...surely you haven't forgotten what tonight is."_

He shakes his head and types.

_"I could never forget. ;) "_

Chime!

_" Lol! For your sake, you better not! Otherwise..."_

She always did this. When she wanted him to guess or when she wanted to keep him on the edge of his seat, she would put those damn dots.

_"Otherwise?"_

Chime!

_"Otherwise, you won't get to see my new 'outfit' I bought just for you."_

His brow arched in interest and his grip on his phone gets a little tighter.

_"Outfit?"_

Chime!

_"Nope! Not until you come home, you naughty boy X3 "_

A plethora of images raced through his mind as Mister Pireon thought of what kind of garment was purchased, and he was so caught up that he almost didn't hear the phone chime a second time in his hand.

_"Btw Does your wife know who you're texting so late at night?"_

To this, he smiles wickedly.

_"Probably has no clue. It's late, so she's most likely to be asleep right now. She snores so loudly, I doubt that she would hear if I called her right now."_

A moment passes, then another and then another. And entire two minutes has gone by before he hears the chime of the ring tone.

Chime!

_"I DO NOT SNORE! XP "_

From the drivers seat, the driver could hear the man back there laughing out loud while slapping his knee. He rolls his eyes, groans, and rolls up the window.

"Man, keep that crap in the bedroom."

Mister Pireon enters his home and tosses his briefcase lazily to the side. He noticed that inside the entire interior of the house was dimly lit, candlelight lit. It seemed nostalgic and it served to be quite the turn on. It reminded him of the old times. A faint rustling noise caught his ear and he looked to the stair case. At the top stood a beautiful young woman with shoulder length auburn hair and dog ears. She donned pale purple baby doll lingerie and, from what Mister Pireon could make out in the dim lighting, a pair of naked skin tone thigh high stockings with garters poking out from beneath the skirt of the baby doll garment. He stared up at her, slack jawed and dry mouthed. Even in the low lighting, he could make out her triumphant grin. She moved away from the railing and started descending from the top of the stairwell, something long and fluffed trailing behind her. With captivated eyes, he watched her climb down every step, her bare feet making light slapping noises against the cool tiled floor.

The young woman came to stand in front of him, smiling proudly as she whipped her hair behind her shoulder. The long and fluffed appendage, being her tail, moved from side to side expectantly, waiting for him to remember himself and say something. Looking more closely at her, he noticed that she was also wearing a dark red satin ribbon tied around her lovely neck. She had on red lipstick and a hint of rouge on her cheeks and eyelids. Her nails were done and from what he could smell, she used her best shampoo and perfume. On her hand she wore a small gold band, and he smiled at seeing it.

"Ma'am, does your husband know that you are up late at night with a stranger in his house?"

The young woman standing before him merely grinned coolly, coming closer to him and flicking her tail defiantly to the side.

"My husband is an old fool who cares not a whit for the importance of dates and special events. However, he does have his moments. And we, my good sir, shall have ours."

She closed the distance between them and draped her arms lazily around his neck, flicking off his fedora with her index finger. It flew off of Mister Pireon's head and landed on the floor, sliding into a halt. Atop his head was white hair that was pulled into a small pony tail and dog ears similar to her own. He chuckled and drew her in by her chin. Their kiss was languid and loving, savoring each other as tongues danced. He pulled away from her soft lips and smiled, brushing his nose against hers.

"Your husband is one lucky bastard to have a gem like you all to himself."

The girl smiled, with sharpened teeth showing. Her eyes were getting hazy and a blush rose into her cheeks, the rouge making it appear darker.

"Mm, yes. But I feel sorry for your wife. Such a troublesome man she has to put with. Troublesome...and yet, I bet that even she can't get enough of you."

They looked into each other's eyes and began to laugh, unable to hold up their little game any longer. When their laughter had died down, he captured her lips and reinitiated the kiss, making it deeper and meaningful. She came closer to him and let her hands slide down his chest. Smiling into the kiss, the young woman takes hold of his tie and tugs playfully on it. He chuckles and moves his hands around her waist to take hold of her tail, making her let out a surprised yelp. He tugged lightly at the base and tangled his fingers into the fur. Both of them were giggling through their throats as they played.

She pulled at his tie and began to walk backwards, leading him along as she moved. He followed her as she pulled him, taking her lips into his from time to time to keep their new game of chase alive. A few times she nearly fell backwards, more so when they struggled with the stairs. It was getting a bit infuriating for him, so he gathered her into his arms in a sudden sweeping motion and bound up the stairs with mischievous energy.

They disappeared at the top of the stairs, their little games going on into the dead of night...and well into the morning light.

**-End**

**A/N: **And so, I end this fan fic on this note. I'm pretty proud of this one, my first completed multi-chapter fan fic! (*sigh*...I've neglected my Zelda fan fic for a long while now...poor baby!) I want to thank all of you who followed this fan fic and reviewed almost every single time (talkin' 'bout waffle dude and renielle14, TJ2 and a new one, crisisdestriX!) As well as every single person who was gracious enough to leave a review! You have all been so wonderful and a great help with this one! If there's anything I can do to help any of you in the future, please do not hesitate to let me know.

Well then, I hope I delivered a finale worthy of everyone's' expectations, though I will admit to purposely leaving out some very crucial tid bits, so I apologize if I make someone upset with this. PM me if I have done that and I'll explain more.

*Takes a bow* Thank you all very much! =^w^=


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